


Obliterated Memory

by Chibi_Chibi



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance, There's more but I don't want too many tags, parenting AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-03-14 22:39:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 48,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13599915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibi_Chibi/pseuds/Chibi_Chibi
Summary: In which Sehun and Luhan are both responsible adults and completely devoted to their kids. Unfortunately, circumstances forced Sehun to grow up when he was still in his teenage years, and fate stabbed Luhan in the back, punishing him for crimes he never committed. Not meeting a significant other was not something that bothered them, but falling in love with each other was not part of the plan—especially when Ziyu and Haowen have history together and neither one tries to deny it.Title: Obliterated MemoryGenre(s): Fluff (especially coming from the kids), mpreg (there really isn’t a male pregnancy in the story yet. They’re just mentioned. I haven’t decided yet), Parenting!auPairing(s): Hunhan (main)All other pairs are not as important: Kaisoo, Chanbaek, KrayLength: Three shots (So far at least)Rating: PG-13 (It might change. We’ll see [but I doubt it])





	1. Foreword

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My old followers since they deserve better than this](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+old+followers+since+they+deserve+better+than+this).



Before they realized it, another thirty minutes had passed. It was already late and neither the brunet nor the honey blond male could stay out any longer. At the end, they had both forgotten the purpose for their presence at the bubble tea shop, not even realizing the moment in which they had both moved up to sit on the empty table right in between them. Perhaps it was their similarities, or maybe their differences due to their life styles, but they both found themselves genuinely enjoying the company and sharing little stories that they somehow hoped could make the other laugh.

Because Sehun had to admit that Luhan’s smile was probably one of the prettiest ones he’d ever seen.

Because Luhan had to admit that Sehun’s voice was soothing and relaxing, and he did not mind listening to the brunet speak.

“I guess I got stood up, but I’m glad I came. Thank you for the good time, Sehun,” said the honey blond male finally getting ready to take his leave. Taken back by the other’s words, the brunet let out a quiet chuckle and nodded at the other in acknowledgement. “You got stood up? Well, it seems to me like we’re on the same boat here.”

“My best friend set me up on a blind date, but I guess my date didn’t show up at the end.” It was then that Sehun stopped smiling and realized that he had also really been stood up. He had been so immersed in his conversation with the other carrier that he didn’t even realize he was supposed to be on a blind date as well. Ironically, his date had not showed up either.

And yet, his stupid instinct was once again telling him that his date had not left him hanging.

“I was also supposed to be on a blind date today.”

It was then that reality had hit them, finally making them understand the circumstances in which they were in. Luhan’s eyes widened in realization that this whole time he had been talking to no one other than his blind date, because for some weird reason nothing seemed to make any sense at first. Now, however, the pretty carrier had come to realize that he had, in fact, enjoyed this little confusing meet up with the other male.

 _Sehun_.

Luhan was finally realizing that was the name Yixing had mentioned earlier. How did he not realize it sooner?

And so did Sehun, apparently. The brunet seemed to be thoughtful at first but after a few minutes, his smile had returned to his face once again. It was probably the little encouragement that Luhan needed in order to also return a shy smile. In a very weird sense, Luhan was glad that he had felt comfortable with the brunet despite not realizing he was the secret date he had been set up with. And albeit things didn’t go as planned, Luhan could not help but to feel a little happy about it.

Because somehow, they both had managed to click without even trying.

“So, is there any way I can convince you to meet up with me again some other time?”


	2. Memory I: Oh, My Darling, I Dare You to Run Away, Because Your Solitary Silence is Enough to Make Your Beloved Irrevocably Walk Away

“Daddy! I think Snowball needs a bath.”

 

At the voice of his six-year-old, the brunet turned around and went into the living room where Haowen was comfortably sitting on the couch and staring at the backyard. The little boy was sipping on some apple juice while Pororo played on the TV, a very interesting cartoon Haowen had gotten into thanks to his daddy’s best friend. Sehun could have sworn the annoying cartoon didn’t even look like a penguin, but those were details the brunet didn’t dare to verbalize in front of his son.

 

“I wonder if Mrs. Kim will ever learn to keep her cat inside the house,” mumbled the brunet to no one in particular as he stared at the scene outside. Their little toy poodle was (for a lack of a better word) enthusiastically chasing after a gray cat that belonged to no one other than their neighbor, Mrs. Kim. And God knew how things would end if Sehun didn’t stop the little poodle from ceasing the poor cat’s existence.

 

“Daddy, why can’t snowball and Mrs. Kim’s cat get along?” And really? Why couldn’t they? Then again, there were a lot of things Sehun did not know the answer to. An example would be how was it that the mutation in certain guys’ DNA allowed them to get pregnant? It wasn’t anything new really, for he had grown up surrounded by pregnant individuals who were not of the opposite sex. And yet, how is it that those individuals grew up with the characteristics of a girl and still showed signs of slower developmental processes? Sehun was not a scientist or a psychologist, but he grew up with his best friends (who by the way had been in a relationship since he could remember) and he learned to observe.

 

Life was definitely a roller coaster of questions.

 

“They’re two different species, baby. The same way you don’t get along with girls yet,” said the brunet, perhaps not doing a good job at coming up with a better metaphor for his six-year-old. “Girls have cooties, daddy! They are not good for boys like me!” The taller couldn’t help but to chuckle at his son’s logic and simply nodded at the younger. Without saying anything else—partially because if he said something he didn’t have to, Haowen would most likely ask another question he wouldn’t be able to answer—the brunet proceeded to open the door leading to their backyard and called a certain poodle that was now barking at the fence that separated both properties.

 

Snowball was a rebel however, and simply ignored his owner’s commands.

 

Sehun made a mental note to enroll the ball of fluff into puppy school whenever he had extra time. Snowball’s behavior was definitely getting out of hand. Besides, the poodle was Sehun’s second son in a way and he did not need Haowen learning from the sassy poodle’s behavior. They spent half of their time together anyway and it had been enough when Sehun found his six-year-old eating his fruit salad off the bowl the same way Snowball does with his food.

 

The brunet learned that he needed to keep an eye on those two troublemakers.

 

With the six-year-old laughing in the background, the single father decided to physically go outside and retrieve the fluffy troublemaker before things got out of hand. And, despite the unnecessary running he had to do in order to catch Snowball who seemed to think his owner wanted to play, after a few minutes the brunet managed to get ahold of him. Secretly praising whatever God was out there for helping him catch their fluffy pet, the brunet decided to close the door to the backyard to not let Snowball out again. As he closed the door, he found his baby standing by the kitchen _still_ sipping on his apple juice.

 

“Daddy, the pancakes smell funny.”

 

It was then that the brunet remembered he was making breakfast for the both of them prior to being forced to hunt down their little pet. Letting out a frustrated sigh, the brunet proceeded to turn off the stove before the fire alarms around the house went off. He did not need the fire fighters at his door step so early in the morning.

 

He was only twenty-two and he felt himself age about ten years older in a spam of five minutes. He still had to drop off Haowen at school and make it to work before nine o’clock. It was nearly eight in the morning already and Haowen wasn’t even ready for school. It was then that another idea popped into his head.

 

“Haowen, how do you feel about having cereal for breakfast?”

 

The six-year-old started giggling to himself as he finished his apple juice and wrapped his little arms around his father’s legs. At least Sehun was more than sure that Haowen was fine with the idea of eating cereal for the fourth time in a row that week.

 

The pancakes would have to wait yet another day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Haowen, if you have three apples and Anson decides to give you two more, how many apples would you have in total?” First grade math seemed to not make a lot of logic to the six-year-old. Thankfully, his daddy was really good at counting with his fingers and teaching the little brunet techniques to do math problems when he was at school.

 

Raising his hand and showing the teacher all five fingers, the little brunet proceeded to say, “these many!” at the confused teacher who was trying hard to get the younger to use his voice instead of his hands. Truth to be told, Haowen had initially thought that the answer to the problem would be “a really good friend,” because he would not give away his apples to anyone. Apples were his most favorite fruit in the world. Sharing with someone other than his daddy was a big no. Then again, his daddy would probably stare into his soul until the little one gave in and shared his fruits with a friend.

 

His uncle Jongin always said that his daddy was too nice to people and so Haowen should also be like his daddy.

 

By the time recess came, the six-year-old was more than eager to go out and play. The thing about recess was that all the different grades got mixed up and the pre-k and kinder kids, in most cases, had priority in the playground. Haowen was not one to fight for his turn on the swings, but he didn’t understand why would the little kids want to get on the swings when they couldn’t even reach the ground to begin with. He also couldn’t understand why some of the boys would much rather play with the girls. Girls had cooties! Some of the boys were also extremely pretty and relatively short, even if they were his age.

 

Regardless of the different characteristics, his daddy had always told him to treat his classmates with kindness and respect—whatever that meant since he didn’t understand the meaning of those words, but the six-year-old reasoned that he had to be nice and friendly with everyone equally. His uncle Jongin had mentioned once that people are different and deserve to be treated the same way Haowen was treated: with love and affection. If some of the boys wanted to play with the girls instead, then Haowen would not question them. No one questioned why he’d much rather spend recess talking to Anson and playing on the swings instead of running around and playing tag with everyone else in the class.

 

The little brunet was currently sitting down by the playground. He had come to realize that it seemed to be Anson’s favorite place since he could keep an eye on the younger kids just in case something went wrong. Anson was really nice. He liked to make sure everyone was fine. Anson was equally nice to everyone, and Haowen couldn’t help but to admire his friend. In a very weird way, Anson was probably the best friend anyone could ever ask for.

 

However, Haowen’s eyes were following the figure of a little blond—extremely pretty if he may add—whom seemed to be enjoying the swings more than any other kid. Truth to be told, Haowen did want to play on the swings, but that didn’t mean he was going to go tell the little boy to move. His daddy had taught him that everyone should wait for their turn. And besides, the playground was mainly for the pre-k students only. Haowen was already in elementary, but he still enjoyed the feeling of being in the air.

 

His daddy had been the one to mention that swinging helps to soothe a person and comfort them when circumstances called for it. Haowen didn’t really understand what his daddy meant but then again, he didn’t understand the elder most of the time. His daddy was wise and thoughtful, but Haowen had a hard time deciphering the meaning behind the elder’s words from time to time. It was as if the elder was purposely trying to get him used to his vocabulary, which (sometimes only) seemed to be a little bit too complex for Haowen.

 

And as he paid close attention to the little blond on the swings, the six-year-old came to realize a few things. For instance, he would not like to be friends with the little boy, for he seemed to be overly clingy. Haowen could already predict that the little ball of happiness was bound to irritate him with the overly cute and friendly personality. Something else that he noticed was the little boy was carrying with him what seemed to be a brown pink bear that was probably property of the pre-k department—or so Haowen assumed since the other kids in the playground also carried a different toy with them.

 

Although the younger was far from swinging at full speed like Haowen liked to play, the younger boy seemed to be enjoying himself. At least he was having fun, unlike Haowen who was simply watching. He’d probably come back to the swings tomorrow and claim his spot before the other arrived. When his friend Anson arrived, the little brunet proceeded to stand up and walk toward the figure approaching him. Anson decided to take a quick look at the kids playing and he smiled to himself after he caught the sight of the little blond happily swinging with the pink teddy bear.

 

“What are you doing?” asked the little brunet after his friend turned around and proceeded to join him as they walked back their own classroom.

 

“Just looking for someone.”

 

Haowen nodded at his friend and disregarded his words as they started to walk away toward the rest of their classmates who were enthusiastically playing tag, not without the little brunet turning around one last time and staring at the bundle of blond hair that kept obliviously swinging nonstop.

 

Damn it. Haowen really felt like swinging today.

 

Unfortunately, he knew that his father wouldn’t like it much if he made someone else cry. He’d make sure to arrive a little earlier next time instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ziyu want to play on the swings, but baba telled him sharing is caring.”

 

It’d been only a few days since the little brunet had spotted the tiny blond playing on the swings, which apparently seemed to be the toddler’s favorite place to play. However, the sudden situation was not something the six-year-old had imagined.

 

Haowen wasn’t really expecting the little blond to abandon the swing to approach him, but he figured it was because he had completely spaced out. Not to mention that the little munchkin—not that Haowen wasn’t a munchkin himself but he was at least way taller than the four-year-old—was apparently very observant. Haowen had not intentionally stared at the swings where the other boy was playing, but the younger had assumed that Haowen wanted to play, too.

 

Not particularly a lie really.

 

“I don’t want to play on the swings, but thank you.”

 

Without saying another word, the six-year-old turned around and walked away from the school playground and went to join Anson and the other first graders instead. The little four-year-old remained rooted on his spot, not really knowing what to do next. He was being nice like his baba always told him to. If the other boy didn’t want to play, then Ziyu would go back to the swings and keep playing instead.

 

And just like that, the little four-year-old turned around and skipped back to the swings where his other classmates were enthusiastically running around playing with each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Baba! Ziyu missed baba!”

 

The four-year-old ran toward the elder, happily throwing his little body against the elder’s arms and wrapping his arms around the blond male’s legs. Lifting the pretty babe off the ground, the elder brought his child closer to his chest, playfully pampering the little boy with kisses all over his face as the little ball of happiness giggled to himself. Wrapping his little arms around the elder, the younger rested his head in the crook of his baba’s neck while his weak, little legs wrapped themselves around the taller male’s middle.

 

This is the one moment of the day Luhan always looked forward to, because his little baby always knew how to put up a smile on his face.

 

“Baba missed his pretty baby. How was school today?”

 

At the mention of school, the four-year-old proceeded to tell the elder everything about the day, including their early coloring section of the body parts and his improvement at memorizing a few other letters of the alphabet. Currently, the little babe was learning to count from one to twenty and Ziyu was doing a great job so far—he skipped from five all the way to ten and from ten to eighteen, but those were details only.

 

It was then that the younger remembered the scene at the playground during recess. The face of the other boy popped into his head and he couldn’t help but to ask his baba about the other’s behavior.

 

“Baba? If another boy want to play on the swings, do Ziyu give up the swing for boy to play?”

 

“Not necessarily, baby. All you have to do is ask the boy if he would like to play with you. He can push you for a small period of time and then you guys can switch. Did something happen today?”

 

Shaking his head at the elder, the little babe proceeded to get himself comfortable on his baba’s shoulder as they made their way back to the bakery where the elder worked, taking in the natural scent of his lovely baba. The school was only two blocks away anyway, there was no need for Luhan to drive—and potentially lose a good parking spot—two blocks when he could just walk it. Besides, Yixing didn’t mind either. In fact, Yixing’s son went to the same school as Ziyu, with the difference that Ziyu was out about an hour earlier than Anson and they didn’t get to see each other at all. ZIyu was pretty much out after recess, unlike Anson whom still had an extra hour of class.

 

Walking into the bakery, the elder proceeded to put his little son down for a few minutes while he went to the back to retrieve his stuff. Yixing was already behind the register and helping the few customers inside. The rest of the staff were either in the back or around the bakery cleaning up and keeping things in order. The little boy ran around the front counter and went to hug his favorite gege, whom had kindly stepped aside and allowed another one of the workers take over the register while he scooped up the little cutie that was desperately begging for his attention.

 

Hugging the child and bringing him closer to his chest, the dark-haired male proceeded follow his best friend, quietly walking into the workers’ area in the back where everyone could go to take their break within every hour and to have their lunch. Luhan was currently standing in front of a locker labeled with his name. It was then that he noticed his best friend (and boss technically since Yixing was the actual owner of the bakery) standing closely behind him with his four-year-old in his arms.

 

“Are you planning to go home, Luhan? Do you want me to call Yifan so he can drop off take-outs?” Smiling at his best friend and showing him his dimple, Luhan couldn’t help but to return the smile. Shaking his head at the other’s offer, the honey blond male proceeded to hug his taller best friend in appreciation. The child sandwiched in between the two of them tried his best to hug both of them, failing miserably in the process for he couldn’t hug any of them properly due to his height.

 

Scooping up his pouty baby, Luhan proceeded to take off, promising his friend to call him later. As the honey blond walked out with his little boy following right behind him whilst holding onto his baba’s shirt, another worker walked in followed by another friend of his that Yixing knew very well. They had gone to college together anyway and somehow had managed to remain in contact with each other.

 

“Kyungsoo! I’m so glad you’re here. You have an appointment in an hour for another wedding cake,” said Yixing as he checked the agenda of the week and secretly praised the fact that Baekhyun had decided to tag along. At least he could leave Baekhyun and Kyungsoo in charge of the bakery while he went to pick up his six-year-old from school.

 

“Another wedding? Seriously Soo, when are you going to start planning your own wedding?” Said male rolled his eyes at his dramatic friend and proceeded to get ready for the day. He worked the afternoon shift since there was someone else who took the morning shifts. As much as Kyungsoo loved baking, there was nothing in the world that would get him out of bed (and most likely out of his lover’s warm embrace) at six in the morning. In fact, he kind of felt bad for the person that opened the bakery on the daily basis.

 

“Yixing, who was that person that just walked out with a cute munchkin?” Asked Baekhyun at a rushing Yixing who seemed to be getting ready to go pick up his son from school even though he was a little bit too early. “That was Luhan. He’s been my best friend since we were probably in middle school. Why?”

 

“Just curious.”

 

Not really understanding his friend—and not trying to understand him much either; Baekhyun was a rather special individual anyways—Yixing proceeded to shake his head and offer the other two a kind smile. He then walked out of the bakery and proceeded to go to pick up his little Anson from school.

 

Noticing how his friend seemed to be in deep thought, Kyungsoo took it upon himself to flick the other’s forehead to get Baekhyun’s attention once again. Groaning in pain and glaring at the dark-haired male in front of him, the other proceeded to stand up and take his leave from the worker’s launch. He was supposed to be outside helping while Yixing was gone. Before leaving, however, the other stopped to ask his friend something that had been in his head ever since he had spotted the pretty carrier with his little son.

 

“Hey Soo, how do you think Sehun would feel about dating again?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snowball and Haowen were probably up to something mischievous again. Sehun could literally feel it. The two had been on the second floor ever since they got home. Chanyeol and Baekhyun had taken the liberty to invite themselves to Sehun’s house that day, thus worrying the brunet a bit more since he thought his two other best friends would also arrive unexpectedly.

 

Thankfully for him, neither Jongin nor Kyungsoo had showed up.

 

“Daddy, I told Snowball to leave your socks alone but he won’t listen. He already took a few of them and now he’s hiding under the bed.”

 

Yeah…Sehun was not surprised.

 

Snowball was a little demon anyway. He already knew he would not be getting those socks back, and thus had already made a mental note to stop by the store after work the following day to purchase more socks. Snowball was the reason why he had to buy new socks at least once a month. Talking about priorities there.

 

Noticing his uncles were at the house, Haowen proceeded to run up to Baekhyun, whom had immediately gotten out of his way to lift-up the younger to sit him on his lap. Squishing the life out of Haowen—who didn’t complain at all, partially because he knew that if he put up with Baekhyun’s overwhelming affection, he’d eventually get something in return—and pampering the younger with kisses, Sehun couldn’t help but to laugh at his pouting son who was indirectly begging him for help.

 

But Haowen’s pain gave Sehun some pleasure so there was no way he’d help his son out.

 

“You’re such an adorable munchkin!” Said Baekhyun as he took the liberty to squish the other’s cheeks for the nth time, earning nothing but an eye-roll from the six-year-old on his lap. It wasn’t that the child was annoyed, he simply couldn’t understand why his uncle seemed to be so obsessed (for a lack of a better word) with his cheeks. They were not made of rubber! They were not going to stretch any further despite the other’s constant pulls!

 

The night went by without much of a difference.

 

Haowen ate his steamed veggies along with a full bowl of spaghetti his daddy had gladly cooked for him since he was not about to eat the tofu soup his uncles had brought along. Unlike his daddy, Haowen was not a tofu fan, and from the moment the other two had walked in, the six-year-old had made sure to let them know he was not planning to eat from the take-outs they had brought along. Luckily for him, his uncle Chanyeol had seen the scene coming and had made sure to bring along a pack of chocolate cookies for his favorite ball of sweetness.

 

This earned him a disapproving look from Sehun because seriously? The last thing they needed was Haowen running around the house after sunset. They didn’t need a boost of hyperactivity for the six-year-old, who by the way was bound to become an enthusiastic ball of energy if Sehun gave him more than two cookies.

 

Sehun simply knew that Chanyeol was anything but ready to be dad. Baekhyun seemed to be ready due to the way in which he treated Haowen—minus the whole squishing and hugging and annoying the child, which Sehun knew was merely an act to get on the nerves of his six-year-old. His son was currently accepting his uncle’s behavior as the other proceeded to spoon feed him the steamed veggies without the six-year-old even complaining. As far as Sehun was concerned, Baekhyun had probably more pictures of him and Haowen on his cellphone than he had of his own…fiancé? They were technically married already. They just didn’t have the ring or the party to prove it.

 

Sehun was not one to judge. Haowen’s mother was not exactly the most trustful cup of tea. He hadn’t even known he had impregnated his girlfriend until she came back a year and a few months after her pregnancy with a six-month-old baby in her arms. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Sehun was the dad, and he had been more than willing to accept the baby to be responsible. His parents would probably be upset since he was still in high school, but they wouldn’t disown him either. Besides, he was not going to raise the baby alone.

 

Wrong.

 

Sehun had been so wrong.

 

It had only taken his ex a few minutes to leave the baby at Sehun’s house as she went back to the car, claiming the diaper bag was still in there.

 

She never came back after that.

 

Sehun didn’t hate her though. It had been hard since he was still in high school and he was blessed with a part-time job at that time, which helped him to pay for all of Haowen’s expenses. His child was the one person that brought him happiness and he was more than proud to be a young, single father. Sehun had gone as far as walking on stage holding in his arms his almost-two-year-old son. In all honesty, that was probably one of the most embarrassing things he had done in his life, but he wanted to show everyone that he had a motivation to keep going in life. College had been the same thing and he had been more than happy to walk on stage again, this time holding his five-year-old son’s hand.

 

And now? Now they were currently having dinner with his two high school friends, who were pretty much married without the title, feeding his little brat while he ate his wonderful tofu soup in peace. In other words, Sehun’s life was seemed to be perfect.

 

Once they were done, Sehun had removed Haowen’s empty dishes whilst Chanyeol disposed the containers from their take outs. At the same time, Baekhyun had taken the six-year-old in his arms and had taken it upon himself to take the child to his room, where an overly enthusiastically puppy was still happily chewing on what Baekhyun assumed were Sehun’s socks—or whatever was left of them. Baekhyun had just walked out of the room when he heard Haowen and the puppy running around the child’s room and chasing after each other.

 

Baekhyun was still wondering how did Sehun even manage to keep his puppy all these years. Even more amazing the fact that now there’s no Snowball without Haowen and no Haowen without Snowball. No wonder Sehun referred to the little poodle as his second son. In theory, Snowball was _technically_ Sehun’s first son, but that was another story.

 

It was once they were downstairs in the living room that Baekhyun had made up his mind to finally talk to their younger friend.

 

“How do you feel about dating again?”

 

Sehun and Chanyeol stared at the petite male as if he had grown another head. Not that they could be blamed for it anyway. Dating was not a topic they discussed often because a) Baekhyun and Chanyeol were already in a relationship, and b) the word “dating” does not exist in Sehun’s vocabulary.

 

“I feel like dating has always been a natural thing. To some of us more than others, if I may say,” said the brunet eyeing his two friends in suspicion. Chanyeol’s barely audible “hey, I have nothing to do with this!” gone completely disregarded by both Sehun and Baekhyun. Sehun had not gone on a date ever since he broke up with Haowen’s mom. In theory, he had gone out a few times with a few girls. There had been one or maybe two nightstands as well, but not an actual relationship. And all these happened prior to Haowen’s unexpected arrival.

 

As for now, dating wasn’t one of his priorities. Haowen took up most of his free time, if not his job. Sehun was a writer, and a very good one. He had simply chosen to take part as the right hand of a journalist for the meantime. Writing was a passion indeed, but he had learned that he had to work his way up one way or another until Haowen was old enough.

 

“Sehun, it’s been almost seven years. You’re young,” said Baekhyun, followed by a barely audible input that came from Chaneyeol: “And single. And a dad, too.” Though, once again, it went completely disregarded by Sehun and Baekhyun. Mostly by Baekhyun though since he was the one decided to do most of the talking. However, Chanyeol had a good point. Sehun was a dad, meaning that dating could wait. Having a child and being a single parent implied that his choices were narrowed down a bit.

 

“Look, I know you care about me and Haowen, and I really appreciate it. But dating can wait. Before it used to be my parents, Haowen, and I. I can’t bring a stranger into the equation and expect him to accept this person right away. Dating can wait until he’s a bit older, don’t you think?”

 

This time, Chanyeol had been the one to step in and deal with Sehun on his own.

 

“Sehun, the clock is ticking. You’re not getting any younger. Don’t you think Haowen wouldn’t want a mother figure? Or maybe a second daddy figure? I can assure you that he’s wondering why his mom, or dad, isn’t here with you two. Think about it, Sehun.”

 

Now that he thought about it, Haowen had never particularly asked where his mother was. Nor had he ever tried asking Sehun whether his mom would come back someday. It somehow felt as if Haowen had already lost hope in having his second biological parent with him. One way or another, Sehun felt guilty. Guilty for not being able to explain any of the things that happened to his son. Guilty for never once considering how he might really feel about having one parent only.

 

But even so, the circumstances didn’t feel right yet. Sehun himself felt like it wasn’t the time yet.

 

“I don’t think—“

 

“One date, Sehun. Go on a date only and then decide. It’s been a long time,” said Baekhyun, offering his younger friend a reassuring smile. It was somehow unfair that he and Chanyeol—and Kyungsoo and Jongin as a matter of fact—were happily engaged in a long-lasting relationship. Jongin and Kyungsoo were already engaged. Chanyeol and Baekhyun…well they were pretty much married.

 

And Sehun?

 

And Haowen?

 

“Sehunnie, if you don’t feel like this is for you, we won’t push you to date anyone else. Just give it a chance. Baekhyun seems to be sure of his choice and I can assure you that giving it a try won’t hurt.”

 

Only one chance.

 

“Sehun, what do you say?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun had gone home after Sehun said he’d think about it and he’d send them a message in a few hours. He had to think about it before making any decisions. Maybe his two friends were right. Maybe he should give it a try for the sake of his child rather than for his own. He had been stopping himself from dating because it had been his personal choice, but now he wasn’t so sure. Would Haowen even agree to it?

 

“Daddy, can we take a bubble bath before I go to bed?”

 

Nodding at his six-year-old’s request, the brunet proceeded to please his bubbly ball of happiness and he prepared the bathtub for them. He was not expecting Haowen to pop out of the room holding a terrified looking Snowball, who seemed to have figured out that it was time for a bath. The pup had been running all day long and chasing after the annoying cat that seemed to be tempting the hell out of him, so the bath was coming regardless of how terrified he was.

 

And that was pretty much what Sehun’s night consisted of.

 

He made sure to close the bathroom door to reduce Snowball’s chances of running away, and proceeded to get the towels ready whilst Haowen happily got inside the bathtub. Snowball didn’t seem to be pleased with the idea of getting a bubble bath, but his partner in crime had pretty much dragged him along. There was technically no way back now. And as Haowen sat there as he “scrubbed” Snowball with his hands—Sehun had to stop him since he seemed to be hurting the pup instead—his daddy kindly took it upon himself to wash his little son’s hair instead.

 

In all honestly, Sehun wasn’t planning to get in the tub with his two troublemakers, but somewhere along the lines he ended up in the bathtub with the other two as well. It was relaxing, yes. It could have been better had it not been for Haowen’s one-sided conversation with the little poodle, who by the way seemed to be sulking in one corner for being forced into taking a bath. Sehun found it entertaining really.

 

“Daddy, will I ever have my body covered in permanent marker as well?” Sehun hadn’t understood his little son’s question, but he had an idea of what the little brunet was talking about. “Will they start showing up on my body as I grow up?” The six-year-old took ahold of his daddy’s arm and started to trace the patterns of his sleeve whilst the elder watched his little son with curiosity.

 

It was the first time that Haowen asked Sehun about his tattoos.

 

Pressing his lips against the younger’s forehead, the young male shook his head whilst his little son kept tracing the black patterns of Sehun’s tribal sleeve. The little brunet was currently facing his daddy, comfortably sitting in between the elder’s legs whilst he touched and admired the different patterns that covered the elder’s right arm and a portion of the right side of his chest. The ink was not going away and it triggered the other’s curiosity whenever his daddy walked around shirtless or with a T-shirt that revealed the elder’s “marker-covered” arm.

 

“One of these days, Haowen, I will add your name, too.”

 

Haowen didn’t understand the meaning of his daddy’s words, but he did know one thing for sure: The patterns were eye-catching and pretty to look at, which is why he leaned his head against his daddy’s uncovered chest as he kept playing with the irremovable ink on it. The elder placed another kiss on the crown of his son’s head, taking notice of how the little one kept yawning. He also noticed the way in which the little puppy seemed to be trying to sneak out of the bathtub as well, thus letting him know it was time for them to go bed.

 

And as the night progressed and he managed to get his six-year-old son out of the bathtub and into bed—with a brand new change of pajamas after kindly blow-drying his son’s brunet hair, and also a certain poodle who was already asleep at end of Haowen’s bed—Sehun was left with nothing to do other than to have their daily night-time stories.

 

He didn’t read any books for his son. It was pointless. They had never caught Haowen’s attention to begin with. He told his son stories about his youthful years. Every night, there was a new story to tell. Embarrassing stories about his uncles. Funny stories about Sehun’s childhood. Sad stories about the past and entertaining stories about the present.

 

It was up to Haowen’s mood really.

 

“Daddy, do I have a mommy or another daddy like Anson?”

 

And unfortunately for Sehun, the question was meant to be answered. He didn’t hide anything from Haowen. His relationship with his son was not sugar-coated. He made it a priority to always talk to his son with nothing but pure honesty regardless of the topic being discussed.

 

“A mommy, baby. But she’s gone. She’s been gone for a few years already. You don’t remember her because you were very young when she left. But she’s the reason why you’re here.”

 

Oh, of course Haowen didn’t remember her. All his life he had only known his daddy and his uncles. The only female in his life had been his grandma and his teacher. And currently his girl classmates. Maybe that was the reason why Haowen didn’t like girls. The only girls he liked were his grandma and his teacher—sometimes only.

 

“Will she ever come back?”

 

That was it.

 

Haowen’s question was enough for Sehun to make his decision. It had been the little push he needed.

 

“No, baby. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have another mommy. Maybe another daddy. It’s never too late for the appearance of new people in our lives.”

 

Haowen couldn’t do anything other than to nod. In all honesty, he had not understood what his daddy had tried to tell him. It didn’t matter though, because at the end of the day Sehun was still there for him. There was nothing to worry about.

 

And when the younger’s eyes were finally giving up on him and forcing the little babe to close them, the brunet stood up and pressed his lips against his son’s forehead. He made sure to cover his son and the little ball of fluffiness at the very foot of the bed before turning off the light and walking out of the room. By the time he reached his own room, he wrote a quick message to his friend before turning off the light and entering dreamland, just like his little brunet in the bedroom across from his.

 

 

 

 

 

To: Baekhyun Hyung

 

One chance, Baekhyun.

 

Only one chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ziyu was not dumb. He was smart and he understood a lot of things already. The boy that was often watching him by the swings was very interesting. He seemed a little quiet, but that’s okay. Ziyu will eventually make him open up. Yes, he was a little older but that didn’t seem like a problem. Ziyu had made Anson open up to him. It had taken a few tries, but now Anson didn’t seem to go anywhere without little Ziyu. They went to the same school but they were in different grades, thus they didn’t cross paths as much. It wasn’t a problem really since they got to see each other on the daily basis anyway.

 

The other boy, however, was quietly sitting on the swings today. He wasn’t moving or speaking to anyone. He was just sitting down. As if thinking about something deeply.

 

How boring!

 

Ziyu would probably be swinging like there’s no tomorrow.

 

Remembering his baba’s words, the little boy proceeded approach the older one, quietly sneaking behind him and nearly giving Haowen a heart attack when he felt little hands trying to push him forward. Unfortunately for Ziyu, Haowen was too heavy to push. It wasn’t that he was weak. His body was simply not developed enough to push someone twice his size.

 

Expected from a little carrier who wasn’t even five years of age yet.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

No answer came since the other pre-k student kept trying to push him forward, miserably failing each time and yet refusing to give up. Haowen could have sworn Snowball would have done a better job than the petite boy behind him.

 

“Ziyu want to play with swing boy. Baba said Ziyu no have to give up swing. Swing boy and Ziyu can play together. Wanna play with Ziyu?”

 

Haowen wasn’t fond of kids—not that he wasn’t a kid himself, but kids younger than him were irritating. He was nice when he had to be nice. He was nice to kids of his age and even those kids that preferred to play with girls and were rather prettier than girls. But he could _absolutely not_ find himself being nice to younger kids.

 

He didn’t really have a reason.

 

They were really annoying and wanted too much attention. Especially kids like this Ziyu. They wanted attention and wanted to befriend everyone. Haowen was not up for that. It was one thing to be nice and another one to want attention. Haowen wasn’t trying to be mean either. He just didn’t like to be around the pre-k students as much.

 

Unlike his friend Anson now that he thought about it.

 

“I don’t want to. I got here first so I get to play on my own.”

 

“But Ziyu is going home after. Ziyu can’t play with swing boy after this.”

 

“Well then we can’t play. Go play with someone of your age.”

 

“But—“

 

Before Ziiyu could say anything else, Haowen got even more irritated and walked away from the playground. He didn’t mean to be a meanie to the little boy, but he was really getting irritated. Ziyu himself was surprised by the older boy’s behaviour. And before the little thing could stop himself for a moment to think about what to do, he started running after the older boy whose legs were much longer than his own.

 

Haowen had not turned around at all, thus he couldn’t possibly know whether he was being followed by the pretty boy or not. He had avoided the boys playing soccer—probably third graders since they were a little bit taller than Haowen, or so he assumed—and had successfully avoided the ball coming toward him by moving out of the way. He was about to enter his own classroom when he heard the cries of pain of someone behind him.

 

It was then that the six-year-old had turned around only to be welcomed by the sight of his little nemesis on the ground, the little boy completely pressed against the ground as he cried his eyes out in the middle of the field. He realized that the soccer ball he had avoided had hit the other instead, probably causing him to lose his balance and falling flat on the ground. And as the boys that were playing crowded around the little babe, the figure of his friend Anson running towards the little boy was all he got to see before he was completely blocked by the adults who came to assist the babe.

 

It had not been Haowen’s fault at all. He didn’t even know the younger was coming after him. Not to mention that there was no way he could have known the ball would hit him. Somehow, the tug he felt on his chest when he heard the other’s cries were bothering him. Haowen was yet to become aware of the different emotions, but the other’s cries were making him feel…. weird. Guilty? Haowen was suddenly feeling as if he had been the one at fault.

 

Furthermore, he had seen the way in which Anson had been the first to run towards the little boy to help him, which made Haowen feel even worse. Anson and the younger had no relationship whatsoever, and yet he had acted faster than anyone else. Deep inside, Haowen knew he was supposed to be the one to react, but for some weird reason he couldn’t bring himself to move. Maybe it was the realization that hit him hard and made him come up with the conclusion that nothing would have happened if he had not walked away irritated.

 

The very last thing he saw was the little boy being carried away by someone that was not a teacher. Maybe his daddy? Regardless of whom it was, Haowen couldn’t help but to feel even more guilty at the sight of the other’s legs being scraped The fresh blood on the surface of the little boy’s skin along with his yet-to-cease cries were too much for Haowen to handle, thus he merely walked inside his classroom with a heavy heart and an even heavier sense of guilt.

 

A few seconds later, Anson also walked in but didn’t stay on his seat. Instead, he grabbed his backpack and put his materials away.

 

“Where are you going?” Asked Haowen, genuinely curious about the other’s whereabouts. Recess wasn’t over yet and they still had an hour of class left.

 

“I’m leaving early. Gege came to pick me up today. My friend just got hurt, too. We’re going home together. I’ll see you tomorrow, Haowen,” said Anson, displaying a set of deep dimples to his friend as he walked out of the room.

 

Haowen was left on his own again to think about what had happened and about Anson’s words once again.

 

Anson’s friend just got hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hurt! Ziyu hurt, baba!”

 

The cries of the four-year-old were enough to tug at Anson’s little heart. He was currently walking to the bakery along with Luhan and a crying Ziyu. Anson rarely got to see the younger one while they were at school—other than when he goes near the playground during recess to check on the little one, that is—and today that he had decided to go fetch his stuff before recess and go look for Ziyu at the pre-k section, he was welcomed by the sight of his little friend on the ground. Anson was worried, but he was also upset. Ziyu didn’t deserve to get hurt. The little boy rarely left the playground anyway, why was the little blond in the middle of the field where the bigger kids were carelessly playing soccer?

 

“I know my pretty baby. It’ll be okay. I’m here,” said the honey blond male, pressing his lips against his child’s forehead whilst the little one curled up against his chest. Ziyu’s head was hidden in the crook of Luhan’s neck, arms completely secure around the elder. One of Luhan’s arms was around his baby keeping him in place and the other one was holding one of Anson’s.

 

Truth to be told, he wasn’t expecting to find Ziyu on the ground crying his eyes out with Anson cradling the little boy as best as he could. He was beyond thankful to Anson for being there for Ziyu. The other teachers were also there trying to check the boy’s injuries, but as soon as Ziyu had spotted Luhan, he had abandoned Anson and gone straight to his baba. Anson assumed that it was the first time Ziyu had hurt himself, and thus he was crying because he was scared at first.

 

Now though, he was probably crying because his scraped skin was stinging and he was experiencing superficial pain.

 

Yes, Ziyu had always been overprotected by Luhan and Yixing—even Anson when their parents took them to the park together. The little boy had never hurt himself before. Today, however, the little babe had come to learn that being careful was important. At the end of the day, Ziyu wasn’t thinking about being careful. He wasn’t even paying attention to his surroundings. Needless to mention the fact he hadn’t noticed he had left the playground. He was trying to focus on reaching the swing boy instead.

 

Why was the older boy so mean to Ziyu? Why wasn’t he playing with Ziyu? They could both play together. Maybe the other didn’t have any friends? Maybe he just didn’t know how to talk to others? Perhaps Ziyu could somehow convince him to come to the pre-k area with him and they could play with the many teddy bears available for them. There were also doll houses and other toys they could play with. Maybe the other boy needed and extra push?

 

As they reached the bakery, the first thing Yixing saw was the little carrier being physically held by Luhan. For once, Ziyu had not walked in running in a rush to greet Yixing like every other time. The little carrier was sobbing in the crook of Luhan’s neck whilst little Anson tried to show comfort by holding his free hand. And as Luhan put his baby down to show him that he was okay—other than the little toothless Band-Aids around both of his legs that were covering his now-turning-purple bruises—Ziyu didn’t find the strength to physically walk around the counter due to his sudden fear of hurting himself again. Instead, he had held onto Anson; the six-year-old somehow understanding the younger and scooping him up in his arms—albeit struggling a bit—before walking around the counter to greet his baba.

 

Great.

 

Now Luhan would probably spend the rest of the afternoon teaching Ziyu that just because he had fallen and bruised himself didn’t mean that he couldn’t walk anymore. Au contraire, he was still capable of running around and doing all the different things he did on the daily basis. He just had to be more careful from now on.

 

Anson had asked his baba for a chocolate cupcake for Ziyu and Yixing had given it to the little carrier right away. He had gone as far as pulling out two small bottles of vanilla milk for the two boys, proudly grinning to himself when Anson had taken it upon himself to help Ziyu with his own drink.

 

Perhaps Yixing had to watch out for his son in the future. He could already see how overprotective and careful his six-year-old would be as Ziyu grew older. Anson understood Ziyu. Anson understood that some kids were just different. Yixing still remembered the way in which the younger had asked Yifan why were his baba, Luhan, and Ziyu so different from him. At that time, Yixing didn’t seem to pay much attention to his curious son. As the days went by, he realized that Anson was trying to understand the younger a bit more, probably to stop himself from thinking that the little toddler’s likes and interests were weird. After all, Ziyu is also a boy, and boys are not particularly attracted to dolls, teddy bears, and make up.

 

“I’m going to protect you and take really good care of you until you can take care of yourself,” said his little son to Ziyu one of those days that Luhan and Yixing had taken the kids to the park. It was then that Yixing had come to realize that Anson understood Ziyu perfectly.

 

Anson was like Ziyu’s older brother and it made Yixing’s heart flutter with pride.

 

The kids had gone to one of the many table and had made themselves comfortable there—or rather Anson had carried Ziyu there and helped him to sit before he went back for their snacks. Ziyu was sloppily eating his chocolate cupcake whilst Anson was quietly eating the few coconut cookies his baba given him. Luhan, on the other hand, was quietly finishing whatever was left of his shift and he had busied himself helping the other workers in the kitchen to decorate one of the cakes that had been ordered for a birthday party.

 

It was once that Luhan came back to the front with another batch of coconut cookies that Yixing stopped him and told him to take a break. It wasn’t that Luhan was overworking himself or anything, but it was not noon yet, thus Luhan refused to leave until his shift was officially over. Offering his friend a smile, the honey blond male proceeded to go to the table where the kids were happily eating their snack, not surprised at all when he noticed the mess his baby boy had done. Taking a few napkins in his hand, the male proceeded to wipe his little babe’s hands and cheeks, as well as picking up the cookie crumps and additional frosting that had somehow “magically” landed on the table.

 

Before the clock hit noon, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had walked into the bakery and had gone straight to the worker’s launch to find Yixing. The male was currently talking no another one of his workers about another order they had received for a kid’s birthday party, which Yixing had immediately agreed to—mostly because it meant he’d have the privilege of delivering the cake, and other than his son and his husband, one of Yixing’s most favorite things in the world was the smile of a happy kid.

 

“Yixing, can we talk?”

 

Offering his worker another smile, the male proceeded to dismiss the lady as he sat comfortably on the single couch and his other two friends directly across from him.

 

“Yixing, I need you to convince Luhan to go on a blind date,” said Baekhyun, successfully earning Yixing and Kyungsoo’s attention. Not that it was the first time that Baekhyun talked nonsense, but today he seemed to be overdoing it. Yixing was staring at Baekhyun as if he had grown another head whilst Kyungsoo was debating on whether he should hit his friend or not.

 

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo started, “I don’t think—“

 

“Please help me, Yixing. I think Luhan will like this person, too.” Yixing remained expressionless. He couldn’t bring himself to formulate any words. There were a thousand thoughts in his head; all of them starting with ‘what if’ and ending with ‘he probably won’t’. Kyungsoo was pretty much the same as Yixing. Baekhyun was known amongst his friends for coming up with some really dumb ideas, but it had been a while since Baekhyun said something that didn’t make sense.

 

Until now, that is.

 

“Why?” Asked the dark-haired male, dimple not showing for the very first time in a while. He was naturally confused and he couldn’t bring himself to understand his friend. Baekhyun was a very special individual, but he couldn’t be this special. Convincing Luhan to go on a blind date had many implications. And Luhan, being a reserved person, would never give in. Furthermore, Luhan had once mentioned that he would not date anyone again.

 

And yixing understood him very well. He didn’t blame him for having trust issues, nor did he blame his best friend for being wary of anyone that tried to get close to him. The circumstances from which Ziyu was born were enough for Yixing (and Yifan) to be over protective of their friend. There were so many things that people didn’t know about Luhan, and Yixing was not about to tell Baekhyun and Kyungsoo about them. It wasn’t his place, nor his story to tell.

 

“Because I think he can be the potential partner of someone that seems to be equally lonely. Look, Yixing, this person I’m talking about has not dated ever since his son came into his life. It’s been six years and he isn’t getting any younger. And from the way in which Luhan seems to treat his munchkin,” Kyungsoo’s input correcting Baekhyun, “his son, Baekhyun, not munchkin!” went completely disregarded by the male as he continued, “makes me think that Luhan is also a single daddy. Please help me, Yixing.”

 

Yixing couldn’t bring himself to agree.

 

“He isn’t getting any younger. And what’s going to happen when the baby starts to question where his other parent is? In this case, his father since Luhan is a carrier. What will happen then?”

 

Yixing didn’t know.

 

Ziyu was still too young and he was still in pre-kinder. For the meantime, Luhan was safe. But Baekhyun had a point. It’d be a matter of time before Ziyu started to question Luhan. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea after all. It’d be good for Ziyu to grow up with another father figure. Anson didn’t have that problem since his parents were married, but Ziyu?

 

However, Luhan’s situation was still in his head. Luhan was terrified of others that tried to get close to him. And how could he not be? He was stuck in the past and scarred for the rest of his life. Ziyu was the best thing to ever happen to Luhan. Ziyu was also the mere image of Luhan himself. However, Yixing was well aware that Luhan would oppose. It was a situation that had happened before.

 

“Baekhyun, you don’t know Luhan. He won’t just agree and give in. I understand you’re concerned and I can see that you just want to help, but Luhan has his reasons to stay away from people. I can give it a try since you made a good point about Ziyu, but I can’t promise anything.”

 

It’s only a try.

 

“Even a try is better than nothing. And if he says yes, I am more than willing to make the arrangements for the date to take place tonight. The faster Luhan gets it out of the way, the better it’ll be for him. He’ll be able to decide whether he likes Se—my friend or not.”

 

The Chinese male played with his lower lip as he stared at his friend in suspicion. Now that he thought about it, his question about Luhan the other day made so much sense now. Then again, it was way too early for Yixing to make any assumptions. Kyungsoo remained quiet throughout the conversation—other than to make small inputs regarding Baekhyun’s choice of words—which meant that he did not want to be involved.

 

And for that, Yixing was thankful.

 

Letting out a tired sigh, the dark-haired male offered his friend a rather forced smile. It was enough for Baekhyun to relax since no words were needed.

 

A small knock on the door was heard and the three males proceeded to look at the door with curiosity. After Yixing’s soft “come in!” was heard, the door opened and revealed Anson holding Luhan’s little carrier in his arms.

 

“Baba, Ziyu and gege are leaving. Ziyu wanted to say bye, but he still doesn’t want to walk,” said the six-year-old flashing the other two males in the room a genuine smile, his deep dimples showing and somehow making the heart of the other two flutter. And if the smile was not the cause of such reaction, then it was probably the adorable creature that was lovingly cuddling against Yixing’s chest.

 

He placed a kiss on Ziyu’s forehead whilst the little babe hid his head in the crook of Yixing’s neck. He brought his thumb close to his mouth and quietly started to suck on it, unbeknown to the smiles forming on the faces of the three males. “Baby, stop Luhan. Tell him I want to talk to him,” said Yixing earning himself a smile in return from no one other than Baekhyun.

 

Kyungsoo remained quiet on his spot, not really wanting to get involved since he knew Baekhyun most likely had something planned. Not that Kyungsoo didn’t care—in all honesty, he cared a little bit too much; probably to the point where he was more than willing to take responsibility for Baekhyun’s act in case something went wrong—but he’d much rather not have an input yet.

 

“What do I say?” Asked Yixing as he witnessed the other two getting ready to leave Yixing and Luhan alone as soon as the blond male walked in. “Just tell him that his name is Oh Sehun and he’s someone you’re acquainted with. There’s no need for further details yet,” said the petite male offering Yixing a last thankful smile as he and Kyungsoo walked out. As they walked out, the slim frame of the pretty carrier was about to walk in. He politely offered them a smile as he bowed his head in embarrassment.

 

It was then that Baekhyun realized that he had made the perfect choice.

 

Luhan was beautiful indeed. Not only did he seem to be kind and loving—towards his baby carrier at the very least, or so Baekhyun assumed—but he was equally pretty as well. And probably what caught Baekhyun’s attention the most were the other’s orbs. Those pretty, Bambi eyes were captivating in many levels; it was pretty easy to tell the little boy on Yixing’s lap had inherited those eyes from no one other than Luhan himself.

 

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun smiled at the male before moving out of the way and walking away. Kyungsoo had things to work on whilst Baekhyun had to go back to work. He simply dropped off Kyungsoo at the bakery every day because it was on the way to Chanyeol’s tattoo store. Might as well walk there with Kyungsoo rather than going on his own.

 

But as Yixing and Luhan sat down, Anson walked in once again and Yixing told his son to come get Ziyu. Seconds later, Ziyu was scooped up by his friend and he was cuddling against the other’s chest. The six-year-old and the little carries left to the front, probably to ask some of the other workers to hand them some more cookies and other sweets behind Yixing’s back.

 

How adorable of them to think Yixing didn’t know.

 

“What is it, Xing?”

 

It was then that Yixing realized he didn’t know how to start.

 

His words were somewhere stuck at the bottom of his throat. The dark-haired male was suddenly feeling nervous, for he didn’t know how would his best friend react to his proposal. Perhaps it was the fact that he knew that Luhan would say no right away, or the fact that Yixing himself didn’t know why he had agreed to do this, but whatever little confidence he had had when the other two were there with him was suddenly gone.

 

And yet, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that maybe, just maybe, if he brought up Ziyu’s situation, then Luhan would maybe give in.

 

“Xing?”

 

What was the point of second-guessing himself? He had already agreed to do it.

 

It was now or never.

 

“I’ve been thinking, and I came to realize that maybe it’s time for you to start meeting people again,” said the dark-haired male, not surprised by the way in which the other’s pretty eyes had widened at the idea of dating once again. The other shook his head right away, face suddenly paling as if he had just seen a ghost. “Please hear me out first.”

 

Luhan kept shaking his head. This time breaking the eye contact with his friend. He was not about to start dating again after what had happened in the past. He didn’t trust anyone anymore and he wasn’t about to start trusting. He had gone through enough in the past and he’d much rather remain single and completely devoted to his child than going through the same hell again.

 

“I know, Luhan. You’re scared. But trust me, not everyone out there wants to hurt others. Think about Ziyu for a moment. It’ll be really good for him to grow up with someone else, other than you, as a role model,” Yixing took Luhan’s hands in his before he continued. “Give yourself a chance, Luhan. What is going to happen tomorrow when Ziyu asks about his dad? You can’t possibly tell me you’re planning to be honest with him. Not while he’s still this young at least.”

 

The truth.

 

Telling Ziyu that he was unplanned and nearly close to being aborted? No. Luhan would not be that cruel parent to break down the horrible truth to his baby. Ziyu’s development would take a while. Everything would be too much for the little babe to take in.

 

But trusting others again is somehow scarier.

 

Trusting once again wasn’t only about Luhan, but now Ziyu was also involved. It was a compromise that Luhan was not ready to accept. What if he didn’t prove himself worth it? What if—

 

“Stop doubting yourself, Luhan. I know you. I know everything about you. And I know that deep inside, you’re feeling lonely. Because Yifan and I can only do so much for you. But the day for explanations will come, Luhan, and you won’t be able to avoid the topic any longer. Isn’t it better to say that the actual sperm donor isn’t there, but someone else could take that place?”

 

It’s not so easy.

 

“Of course it isn’t easy. But you need to give yourself a chance to be happy. Only one. And if it doesn’t work out, I promise I won’t pester you again.”

 

One chance.

 

But if it didn’t work out, would he actually be able to get out this time? Yixing did mention that not everyone out there wanted to hurt others. Luhan knew it. He just wasn’t willing to find out whether this person Yixing was talking about was worth a shot.

 

But Ziyu would eventually want to know about his father. That man; that monster.

 

“Luhan?”

 

Yixing was right. He had to leave his bubble of comfort and somehow find his own happiness. He had to remember that this time he couldn’t make any mistakes. This time it was about his baby, too. And Yixing did make a point about another role model for Ziyu.

 

“And if I say yes, how do I know that—“

 

“You don’t. This is why you have to give him the benefit of the doubt. His name is Oh Sehun and he’s an acquaintance of mine. I’m sure you’ll like him, ge. You just need to open up to him a bit. Don’t just answer with yes or no. Try to get to know him as well.”

 

Why try? Isn’t it pointless? Isn’t everyone the same at the end of the day?

 

“And what if it isn’t pointless, Luhan? What if he isn’t like Ziyu’s sperm donor?”

 

But what if he is?

 

“It’s a risk you got to take then. It’s your choice. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. I just think it’s a good idea.”

 

The honey blond male stayed quiet. He lowered his head and stared at his lap in attempts to make himself as tiny as possible. He hated it when Yixing was right. He hated it when Yixing made him realize that he was being insecure. This man could possibly be what Luhan always wanted but never had the chance to find due to the unexpected appearance of Ziyu’s dad. And if he actually gave it a try, would it make his baby happy?

 

Luhan let out a sigh he didn’t realize he had been holding. He proceeded to lock his eyes with his best friend as if trying to find out any sight of playfulness in the other’s eyes. However, he didn’t find any, which made the older carrier pout in disappointment—rather cutely from Yixing’s perspective. It was enough for the dark-haired male to know that he had won.

 

And it somehow brought some happiness to the other Chinese male.

 

His best friend was finally stepping out of his comfort zone and he couldn’t help but to be happy. Not only would Luhan do something good for his baby, but he was also doing something good for himself. Because at the end of the day, Yixing and Yifan couldn’t possibly share their happiness with Luhan. The honey blond male had to somehow find his own happiness, regardless of how scary it seemed to be. It was unfair that Luhan was the only one who wasn’t completely happy. Yes, Ziyu made him happy, but Yixing knew that Luhan dreamt of finding his special person, too.

 

At least before Ziyu arrived.

 

Luhan was nowhere close to be the dreamer he used to be a few years back. It broke Yixing’s heart since Luhan had changed, albeit for good. It was still saddening to know the person he had grown up with had been punished for committing no crime whatsoever. He had been unjustly attacked by life, horribly played and stabbed in the back by his own fate, and mercilessly deprived from any of the dreams he used to have.

 

And now? Now was finally his chance to have those dreams back.

 

“One chance, Yixing. One chance only.”

 

The dark-haired male offered his best friend a smile, his deep dimple showing as he enveloped his best friend in a warm embrace. Luhan, however, couldn’t bring himself to smile. He was not sure about his decision, but Yixing did say that if things didn’t go right, then he wouldn’t bring up the topic again. He was seriously hoping he could get this over with as soon as possible. Maybe that way the weight on his shoulders would be lifted for once and for all.

 

“I have to go. I have to somehow convince Ziyu that he can still walk without getting hurt,” said the honey blond male offering his best friend a forced smile before he walked out of the room, not without the other telling Luhan that he would call him as soon as possible about the details of the meeting. At the statement, the other carrier nodded in understanding before proceeding to leave the bakery. He politely said ‘bye’ to Baekhyun—whom for some odd reason was still at the bakery—and Kyungsoo, and sweetly pressed a kiss on the crown of Anson’s head. He then took his little carrier and put him on the ground. To this, Ziyu’s eyes proceeded to water again, for he was terrified of falling again.

 

And albeit Luhan kept encouraging the little babe to walk, Ziyu simply broke into heavy sobs and remained rooted on his spot. He refused to walk completely, just like Anson had mentioned. It was then that Luhan realized he would have to physically carry his little cry baby all the way to their car. Not particularly a problem, but Ziyu was bound to walk at some point.

 

Without saying much, the elder scooped up the babe and the younger proceeded to curl up against his baba’s chest, thumb already in his mouth whilst Luhan showered him with kisses as they walked out of the bakery. Baekhyun was pretty much cooing at the scene, realizing that maybe, just maybe, having a munchkin of his own didn’t seem like a bad idea.

 

Ziyu had somehow awakened some sort of motherly instinct inside the other carrier, and it was something that didn’t go unnoticed by Kyungsoo.

 

“You know, Chanyeol is pretty much just waiting for you to say you want a child. Stop looking at Luhan and Ziyu like that.” At those words, Baekhyun glared at his friend who was simply sending him a mischievous smile. “Look who’s talking. As if jongin hasn’t been begging for a baby himself.”

 

That was enough for Kyungsoo to drop the subject.

 

“Why are you still here anyways? Don’t you have to go see Chanyeol?”  It had pretty much been an hour already and Baekhyun was still at the bakery annoying the living crap out of Kyungsoo. Not that the male cared much, but really? He already had to deal with Baekhyun on the daily basis. “Sehun texted me saying that he’ll stop by the bakery soon because Haowen wants something.”

 

It was then that Yixing stepped out of the worker’s launch and stood behind the counter with Kyungsoo. He was smiling at the other two and Baekhyun couldn’t help but to show his excitement. He went around the counter and hugged his friend for doing such a great job at convincing Luhan to say yes. As they celebrated, the frame of Sehun walked in holding the hand of his six-year-old son. It was not the first time that Haowen visited the bakery, but it was the first time that he found Anson there.

 

Anson ran toward the two figures and proceeded to greet his friend. And as the two little ones lost themselves in an endless conversation about school, Sehun approached the figure of his two friends and the person he assumed was the owner of the bakery.

 

Yifan’s husband, as Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had mentioned before. Unfortunately, Sehun had never had the privilege of meeting the carrier face to face.

 

Not until now.

 

“Who do we have here? I thought you didn’t go to bakeries, Sehun,” teased Kyungsoo, happily handing Sehun a small bottle of vanilla milk for Haowen (permission granted by Yixing, of course). The male chuckled at the other’s statement and proceeded to hand the bottle to his son. Before turning away, Haowen asked his daddy to buy a chocolate cupcake for him and Sehun simply nodded at his son before he turned to the other three males instead—technically two since Yixing had just been called to go to the kitchen.

 

“A chocolate cupcake for Haowen,” said the brunette, handing Kyungsoo come cash even before the other had pulled out the pastry. “Sehun, are you busy tonight?” asked Baekhyun, completely disregarding Kyungsoo and Sehun’s interaction.

 

“Not really. Unless Haowen wants to do something in particular, then I’m free. Why?” Sehun took the small box containing Haowen’s pastry and thanked Kyungsoo. “Well you’re officially busy tonight. You, my friend, have a date. And don’t worry about Haowen. Chanyeol and I will come to your house and watch him for you,” said Baekhyun grinning like an idiot knowing that Sehun couldn’t possibly refuse.

 

There was no point in refusing anyway.

 

Baekhyun was already decided to make this work.

 

“Fine. Just let me know the place and time,” said Sehun before waving good-bye at his two friends and at Anson as he took Haowen’s hand again and walked toward their car.

 

Just minutes after the brunette left, Yixing walked out of the kitchen and stood by Baekhyun and Kyungsoo again. The other male had already left and Anson was left on his own sitting by the window and waiting for his own daddy to arrive.

 

“Yixing, can you babysit Ziyu tonight?” The Chinese male nodded at his friend’s question catching up to Baekhyun’s idea. “Good. Luhan and Sehun will meet up tonight.”

 

It was all Baekhyun said before he walked out of the bakery, leaving a skeptical Yixing and a thoughtful Kyungsoo behind.

 

Somehow though, neither one was nervous. They both had a good feeling about this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Daddy, I have a question,” said Haowen once they were at Sehun’s office. Usually, the male would pick up his son and drop him off at his parents’ house. Sehun had a babysitter for his six-year-old, but upon discovering Sehun’s whereabouts, Mrs. Oh had forbidden Sehun from hiring another babysitter. She had decided she’d take care of her grandson until Sehun came out of work. This worked perfectly fine since the brunet was out of work by five.

 

Today, however, had been one of those days when Haowen had refused to stay with his grandparents. He had kindly asked his daddy if he could accompany him to the office. In the mist of pulling out his math homework for his daddy to help him, Haowen came to the conclusion that his daddy could maybe help him figure out the events from today.

 

“What is it?” Sehun was completely going over the agenda left on his table. His boss’ secretary had come up with the idea of creating a daily agenda for Sehun, for she had realized that the male liked to keep track of everything. Besides, Haowen would probably ask him something related to school. Perhaps a new discovery?

 

“How do you call it when you kind of know that someone got hurt because of you but you don’t know how to apologize?”

 

That was weird.

 

Haowen rarely asked any questions regarding other people. Not that Haowen was antisocial or anything, but the little brunet didn’t talk to Sehun much about his friends. Needless to say about emotions or behaviours. Haowen wasn’t even aware of the definition of emotions. Yeah, he knew the difference between happy and sad, but that was about it.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Had something happened at school? Could it be that Haowen got hurt? Could it be that Haowen saw someone getting hurt? Could it be that Haowen was the one to hurt someone else? No, he wouldn’t. Haowen was too oblivious sometimes. He could be cold and maybe mean—albeit not on purpose—but he would never hurt someone else. He had pretty much cried for hours when he stepped on Snowball’s tail a few nights ago.

 

“There was this pre-k boy today that tried playing with me on the swings. And he kept pushing me but he couldn’t move me. And I told him I didn’t want to play with him but he kept saying he wanted us to play together. So I stood up and left him. You know how I get irritated by younger kids because they never do as you tell them to do?” At that question, Sehun couldn’t help but to laugh because Haowen was _definitely_ his son. Even today, Sehun still got irritated when his hyungs didn’t do as he said. This story, however, had nothing to do with Haowen’s, thus he let his son continue without any interruptions.

 

“I was walking back to class but I didn’t know he was following me, so when the third graders were playing soccer I moved out of the way when I saw the ball coming towards me. And when I reached the class I heard someone crying. When I turned around I saw him on the ground and he scraped his legs and for some reason I felt…weird. Like I had to go help him but I didn’t move. And then Anson ran to help him and I felt something here,” Haowen pointed at his chest and then continued, “and now I don’t know what to do.”

 

Interesting.

 

Haowen felt guilty.

 

The question was not whether the six-year-old could figure out his emotions or not, but rather what was it that stopped him from helping the little kid. Other than the fact that, as the little brunet had mentioned, he found the child irritating, Haowen seemed to be aware that he was supposed to help the younger. So why didn’t he?

 

“Why didn’t you help him? You just said you knew you had to help him. What was stopping you?”

 

The six-year-old shrugged and refused to make eye-contact with his dad, instead focusing on the math problem Sehun knew he had answered incorrectly. At the end of the day, according to Haowen’s logic, four times six equals ten. But regardless of the situation, there was something else bothering his younger son and Sehun couldn’t help but to feel concerned.

 

Letting out a sigh of amusement, the young father stood up and walked around his desk, directly standing in front of his mini version as the younger put his pencil down and stared at his father. All professionalism was left behind when the brunet sat on the floor and motioned for the younger to get close to him. Haowen obliged to his father’s request, leaving his chair behind and joining his daddy on the floor who sweetly sat him in between his legs and enveloped him in a warm embrace.

 

“It’s called guilt, baby. You feel like this is all your fault, am I correct?”

 

The six-year-old pressed himself deeper (if that was even possible) against his daddy’s chest, wishing he could suddenly disappear. Because in a way, his daddy was right. Haowen did feel as if the accident had been his fault, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize to the child. It all happened so fast. Maybe he did care about the little boy, even if they had only met a few days ago. The little kid didn’t deserve to get hurt. Why was he even trying so hard to befriend him anyways?

 

“It’s okay. All you need to do is apologize. That’s why you made me buy a chocolate cupcake, am I right?”

 

Not being able to take it anymore, the six-year-old turned around and wrapped his body around his father’s bigger frame. His arms wrapped around Sehun’s neck whilst his legs wrapped around the elder’s middle. Face completely hidden in the crook of the taller male’s neck, the child nodded in shame, for he was unable to see his daddy in the eyes.

 

Because Sehun had taught him to be kind to other kids.

 

Because Sehun had done his best to only teach him good things.

 

Pressing his lips against Haowen’s forehead, the brunet soothed his little son by rocking their bodies back and forth. “He looks like a girl, daddy. He’s really small, too. There’s other kids that are bigger than him. Maybe I don’t like him because he’s really small? Like…there’s other kids that are also his age and they’re bigger, daddy.”

 

No.

 

That was not it.

 

It was the fact that said little boy was different. Haowen didn’t seem to have a problem with other non-carriers. Anson wasn’t a problem. Carriers, however, were not the typical kids Haowen would talk to. Sehun came to realize that it had probably to do with the fact that carriers associated more with girls than non-carriers, thus Haowen associated them with girls as well and refused to show friendliness toward them.

 

Sehun used to do it.

 

He simply grew out of it by the time he graduated middle school. Haowen would get there too.

 

Stroking the younger’s brown hair, the young father placed a kiss on the crown of his son’s head. He drew comforting circles on his son’s back whilst Haowen looked at the elder’s lap in shame. Because really, how could he not? Someone had gotten hurt because of him and he couldn’t even bring himself to say sorry. He had initially planned to give the younger the cupcake so that he wouldn’t have to say sorry directly, but the boy was still young. Chances were he wouldn’t even understand why the older boy was giving him a cupcake.

 

Life seemed to be so hard to the six-year-old.

 

“It’s okay, baby. Give the little boy the cupcake and make sure you tell him how sorry you are. Don’t walk away from him. Make sure he forgives you. Sometimes it is necessary to leave our pride behind, Haowen. I know you might get irritated because he’s young, but this isn’t about you. It’s about him and his wellbeing. You need to be a little gentleman and face the problem.”

 

Nodding at his daddy’s words, the little boy stared at his own pair of red converse and kept his head down in shame, because at the end of the day his daddy was right. He had to face the consequences of his actions and apologize to the little boy. True, he had no idea the other pre-k student was running after him, but nothing would have happened if he had not acted like a meanie and walked away from him in the first place.

 

The young father placed a last kiss on his son’s forehead and then left his spot on the floor; in the process taking the liberty to also lift his son up on his feet and telling him to sit down to finish his homework. The elder went back to his own desk and proceeded to check off the things he had already gotten done. He was in the process of reviewing his boss’s latest assignment when his son’s voice caught him off guard.

 

“Daddy, four times six is ten, right?”

 

“No, that’s four plus six.”

 

“What’s the difference between those two?”

 

Sehun realized that his son didn’t want to spend time with him at all. He simply wanted help with his math homework. The elder let out a cute chuckle before proceeding to put away the assignment for a few minutes to help his son with his math homework. After all, that was what parents were for, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In all honesty, Luhan had somehow found himself sitting in the middle of a bubble tea shop not too far from Yixing’s house. He had never been there since there was one closer to his house, and the only reason why he knew he was at the right place was because Yixing had specifically told him that the shop was right across a tattoo parlor.

 

Now that he thought about it, it hardly looked like a tattoo parlor at all. If anything, it looked like a regular apartment on the outside. The only reason why Luhan knew he was at the right place was because Yixing had sent a picture of how the parlor looked on the outside. At least the honey blond male had a sense of direction. The bubble tea shop was rather big and spacious. Luhan found himself sitting in one of the double booths to the far, left corner of   the shop.

 

The first thing Luhan had noticed were the pastel colors. They had somehow helped him to soothe his racing heart, which was originally threatening to jump out of his chest at any second now. He was simply wondering why would his blind date choose such a place for a date? Not that Luhan didn’t like bubble tea, but this really isn’t what he was imagining. He had arrived earlier than expected, but he had a reason: He was more than sure he’d get lost. Apparently, he didn’t; he was now stuck waiting for his date to show up. And he was refusing to order anything because that would be just awkward.

 

His thoughts suddenly went back to his little carrier. He knew his little baby was okay since he was with Anson and Yixing. The thought of Yifan spoiling his little carrier brought a smile to his face since the male would probably go as far as to feeding Ziyu sweets if the he asked him to. At the end of the day, Yifan would turn into a softie for Luhan’s little baby.

 

In the mist of thinking about his little baby, Luhan came to conclusion that maybe he should put an effort into meeting other people. There was no possible way he’d ever open up to his little son about his past or about how he even came to get pregnant, but Ziyu would at some point question where his dad went. And what if this person he was about to meet didn’t click with Luhan at all? What if they were too different? It was only a try, but at the end of the day this person was an acquaintance of Yixing—as the dark-haired male had made him believe, that is. Luhan did not want to give this person the cold shoulder without even trying first.

 

The sound of someone’s ringtone unexpectedly went off, completely pulling the honey blond male out of his thoughts. Other than the few costumers at the front register ordering their drinks, and the few families spending a night out and enjoying their sweet drink, Luhan couldn’t understand how he was supposed to be able to recognize his date. What if the person never came to begin with?

 

“Chanyeol, if Haowen ends up with red or blue skin because of your colorful bubble bomb, I will skin you alive, murder you right after, and let your husband bring you back to life just so he can murder you again, did I make myself clear?”

 

Luhan couldn’t help but to smile to himself, because how could he not? That sounded like Yixing when Yifan came up with weird experiments that Anson, Ziyu, and he could try out. Perhaps he was indirectly invading the stranger’s privacy by quietly listening to his conversation, but he couldn’t help it. The fact that there was someone there that could keep him entertained and that was indirectly helping him to soothe his nerves was enough to comfort the honey blond male.

 

“If you let my son eat anymore ice cream, I swear I will feed you tofu for a whole week. I am not kidding. He is already energetic. I don’t need him running around all night!”

 

Yeah, Luhan was definitely enjoying the other’s conversation a little bit too much.

 

Regardless of whether he was early or not, Luhan had come to realize that it was about time his said date showed up. In fact, it had been a little bit over twenty minutes already. Did the other person get lost? Could it be that said person was coming from another city? Everything was possible. Disregarding the fact that his date was late, the male carrier proceeded to pull out his phone and started to go through the pictures of his little son. It had only been about two hours and he already missed him. The fact that they rarely got separated brought a feeling of guilt and melancholy to the elder.

 

He wanted to be home with his baby instead of getting to know somebody else.

 

And why was the person not showing up yet?

 

Shaking the thought out of his head, the pretty carrier realized that the stranger across from him was not on the phone anymore. Instead, he was rubbing his eyes and shaking his head while a tiny smile decorated his lips. Luhan assumed it would be okay to make a small conversation with the other male since both seemed to be waiting.

 

“Babysitter?” asked the petite male whilst the other brunet turned his head to face Luhan properly. Chuckling to himself, the brunet shook his head before giving the other a proper response. “Not really. They’re my friends but they’re watching over my son tonight. Apparently, one of them likes to experiment and he wants to use my son as his guinea pig. His almost husband, on the other hand, is _really_ fond of my son, so whatever my son wants, his husband gives in right away. Ice cream at night is not something I usually allow. And I’m sure they will not be the ones watching over him all night when he’s overly hyper and beyond energetic at midnight.”

 

Luhan couldn’t help but to laugh at the other’s struggle. True, Luhan knew the position in which the brunet seemed to be. Luhan was a parent as well, and he was the parent of a carrier. Since Ziyu was not a regular boy, Luhan knew how the difficulties of keeping the other busy or giving into his requests for his tiny son to go to bed content. Besides, the brunet’s friends sounded a lot like Yixing and Yifan, minus the little detail that they, too, were parents.

 

Yeah, the beauty of parenthood.

 

“That sounds like a struggle if you ask me. Boys are a handful,” said the honey blond carrier, earning himself a chuckle from the other brunet. Nodding at the other’s statement, the brunet took the liberty to ask the stranger a question as well. “Do you have any kids?” The honey blond male nodded, further extending his answers now that Ziyu became part of the conversation.

 

“Yeah, I do. I have a four-year-old carrier.”

 

“Aren’t carriers a handful as well?” asked the brunet, not really intending to sound rude, which thankfully didn’t affect the honey blond at all. In fact, Luhan didn’t even see it as rude. “It depends. I don’t think so. I think it depends on how you handle the situation. My baby isn’t a handful really. He is playful and rather small. He has never given me a hard time now that I think about it. Except from today. He fell and scraped both of his legs. I spent the entire afternoon explaining that it was safe to walk as long as he is being careful. He made me carry him around all day because he was terrified of hurting himself again,” said the honey blond male and successfully making the other stranger smile at his little story.

 

“That’s adorable.” It made Sehun think about how different it was for Haowen. When his son was younger, Haowen would cry and run to Sehun for comfort whenever he fell or hurt himself. Nowadays, the little boy simply pretended like it didn’t hurt. Sehun was more than sure that his son was merely pretending to be a grown up, which, according to his idea, were meant to be strong and lacked any pain receptors. If only he knew that Sehun still cried from time to time whenever he accidentally hit his pinky toe against a hard surface.

 

As an only child, Sehun didn’t know much about carriers. Yeah, he pretty much grew up with them because everyone gets mixed up at school, but he didn’t recall ever associating himself with one—except for Kyungsoo, whose presence in Sehun’s life has been permanent since he and Jongin were in elementary school—until he reached high school. It was around the same time that he completely understood why Kyungsoo was so different. It was also around the time Chanyeol and Baekhyun became part of his life.

 

Even now, the only male carriers he’s ever associated himself with—to the extent of sharing everything and staying as friends for the longest—have been Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. His friend, Yifan, was also married to a male carrier. As far as he was concerned, Haowen was friends with Yifan’s son, but Sehun had never had the privilege to meet Anson’s baba.

 

Or so he thought. He had met the carrier today at the bakery but they didn’t have the chance to introduce themselves.

 

The fact that his son was not a carrier made things a bit more difficult for Sehun. In theory, whatever knowledge Sehun has on the topic has come from school and Baeksoo (because combining their names together was better than having to think about each name individually. Or Sehun was just lazy, which seemed to be more accurate). Truth to be told, he was actually waiting for his friends to have their first child. Chances were that one of the two couples was bound to have a baby carrier. In all honesty, Sehun couldn’t wait. It’d be a new experience and he was looking forward to it. At least Haowen would have more friends, albeit they’d be a few years younger. Perhaps that would be Haowen’s cue to start associating himself with everyone equally instead of following his father’s steps.

 

“How about you? Do you only have one child?” Asked the honey blond male, finally pulling the brunet out of his own thoughts. Shaking his head at the other’s question, the brunet couldn’t help but to smile to himself as he thought of the fluffy ball of playfulness that was his son’s partner in crime. “No, I technically have another son.” Raising a brow in confusion, Sehun couldn’t help to laugh at the other’s reaction. And who wouldn’t? It’s not every day that someone doubts the probability of having two sons. And Sehun had not sound so convincing.

 

Sehun decided to elaborate a bit more.

 

“There’s someone that has been part of my life even before Haowen came into the picture. He was about three months old when I found out about my son, but they’ve been pretty much growing up together for these past six years.” The curiosity was killing Luhan. Did the stranger adopt another child prior to finding out he had a son? In all honesty, Luhan didn’t really understand, but he was more than willing to wait for the brunet to elaborate a bit more. “I have toy poodle at home that is pretty much my son’s partner in crime. They drive me nuts, but I don’t think it’d be same without him. He’s the sibling my son has never had. Put them together and they’re the definition of a headache,” said the brunet, successfully making the other blond laugh.

 

It was cute, Luhan had to admit it.

 

The fact that there was someone who thought of his dog as his son made him smile.

 

A stranger, whom Luhan had only known for about ten minutes or so, had successfully made Luhan smile.

 

“I think it’s cute,” said the honey blond male offering the brunet a genuine smile.

 

Nodding at the other in acknowledgement, the brunet proceeded to pull out his wallet to go buy a drink. It had been a bit over forty minutes anyway and he had been dying to buy some bubble tea. He had simply stopped himself from doing so since he didn’t want to seem rude. Sehun was still waiting for his date to show up, but at this rate the brunet was losing hope. He was here in the first place to please Baekhyun and Chanyeol. It’s not like he was not planning to try for the sake of giving himself a chance, but ultimately he was here because he wanted Haowen to be happy.

 

At this point, however, he wouldn’t mind if his date found him drinking something. He was more than willing to pay for his date’s drink despite the fact it was already late. Besides, Sehun had nothing to lose. He was having a nice conversation with someone else and they were enjoying each other’s company. They were only strangers that were at the same place at the right time.

 

And so, Sehun proceeded to kindly ask the stranger to wait for him for a few minutes while he went to buy something for himself.

 

Sehun was considerate, respectful, and thoughtful of others. He was graceful in many ways and kind to everyone equally—some more than others if he may say. Thus, it was not surprising at all when he found himself paying for chocolate favored drink and taro flavored drink.

 

The brunet went by his instincts. He didn’t know if the stranger would like the drink, but he felt like it was the right flavor to buy. In a way, it was Sehun’s way of thanking the honey blond male for keeping him company all this time. In a very weird way, it was Sehun’s way of thanking the other for soothing him and calming his beating heart, which had been beating at an abnormal pace since the moment we walked through the doors. Because in a very weird way, the other’s presence had somehow helped Sehun to calm himself a bit.

 

Thus, the expression of amusement that came from the other male after Sehun had handed him the taro drink was more than enough to make Sehun feel accomplished. Because in a very weird way, Sehun’s instinct was never wrong. And when the honey blond male admitted that taro was his favourite flavor, Sehun couldn’t help but to flash the other a cocky smile, because once again, his instinct was never wrong.

 

After thanking the brunet for the drink, they talked a bit more about pretty much anything. Sehun found out the honey blond male’s name was actually Luhan, and he was only two years older than Sehun. The brunet also found out that Luhan loved to cook and to bake, which is why he worked at a bakery with his best friend. He found out that Luhan was a single parent and he was once again reminded that his son, Ziyu, was a four-year-old carrier. Likewise, Luhan found that the stranger’s name was Sehun. He found out the male was a single parent and he was twenty-two years old.

 

And apparently, he also trusts his instincts because they have never failed him—the bubble tea he bought for Luhan was enough evidence to make Luhan believe him.

 

They talked about a little bit of everything: books, music, pets, hobbies. Luhan found out that Sehun’s son enjoyed playing video games with his dad, whereas Sehun found out that Luhan’s son enjoyed going out and interacting with other kids. It was rather contradictory the way in which they shared pieces of information about themselves and then shared information about their sons, as if indirectly attempting to give each other an insight of their daily lives.

 

Before they realized it, another thirty minutes had passed. It was already late and neither the brunet nor the honey blond male could stay out any longer. At the end, they had both forgotten the purpose for their presence at the bubble tea shop, not even realizing the moment in which they had both moved up to sit on the empty table right in between them. Perhaps it was their similarities, or maybe their differences due to their life styles, but they both found themselves genuinely enjoying the company and sharing little stories that they somehow hoped could make the other laugh.

 

Because Sehun had to admit that Luhan’s smile was probably one of the prettiest ones he’d ever seen.

 

Because Luhan had to admit that Sehun’s voice was soothing and relaxing, and he did not mind listening to the brunet speak.

 

“I guess I got stood up, but I’m glad I came. Thank you for the good time, Sehun,” said the honey blond male finally getting ready to take his leave. Taken back by the other’s words, the brunet let out a quiet chuckle and nodded at the other in acknowledgement. “You got stood up? Well, it seems to me like we’re on the same boat here.”

 

“My best friend set me up on a blind date, but I guess my date didn’t show up at the end.” It was then that Sehun stopped smiling and realized that he had also really been stood up. He had been so immersed in his conversation with the other carrier that he didn’t even realize he was supposed to be on a blind date as well. Ironically, his date had not showed up either.

 

And yet, his stupid instinct was once again telling him that his date had not left him hanging.

 

“I was also supposed to be on a blind date today.”

 

It was then that reality had hit them, finally making them understand the circumstances in which they were in. Luhan’s eyes widened in realization that this whole time he had been talking to no one other than his blind date, because for some weird reason nothing seemed to make any sense at first. Now, however, the pretty carrier had come to realize that he had, in fact, enjoyed this little confusing meet up with the other male.

 

Sehun.

 

Luhan was finally realizing that was the name Yixing had mentioned earlier. How did he not realize it sooner?

 

And so did Sehun, apparently. The brunet seemed to be thoughtful at first but after a few minutes, his smile had returned to his face once again. It was probably the little encouragement that Luhan needed in order to also return a shy smile. In a very weird sense, Luhan was glad that he had felt comfortable with the brunet despite not realizing he was the secret date he had been set up with. And albeit things didn’t go as planned, Luhan could not help but to feel a little happy about it.

 

Because somehow, they both had managed to click without even trying.

 

“So, is there any way I can convince you to meet up with me again some other time?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Gege! Ziyu can’t sleep. Ziyu wants baba.”

 

The four-year-old was lying in bed with Anson, completely curled up against the elder boy’s chest whilst Anson’s arms were protectively wrapped around his little friend.

 

Anson knew that his gege was busy, but he also knew that it was time for Ziyu to go to sleep. He had hurt himself earlier and if there was something he needed was some sleep. Anson also worried about Ziyu, and he had spent quite a good amount of time trying to comfort his younger friend after Luhan dropped him off with him and his parents earlier.

 

For some weird reason, Ziyu thought that his baba was abandoning him. It had taken Anson a good thirty minutes to get the child to stop crying. He was more than thankful that his daddy had left work early so he could take them out to eat. And even though the little ball of cuteness had eaten until his tummy hurt, Anson couldn’t completely shake off the feeling that Ziyu was rather sad. At the end of the day, he had been around the four-year-old long enough to know something was wrong with him.

 

“He’ll be here soon, ZIyu. Gege is a little busy right now. You need to sleep.”

 

Shaking his head at the elder, the little boy sat on the bed and refused to lie down again. “But the sky is awake, so I’m awake. I want baba, gege.” Anson rolled his eyes at the other’s typical line to avoid going to bed and proceeded to also sit down. It was then that the little carrier climbed into the other’s comfortable lap and rested his head against Anson’s shoulder.

 

The six-year-old, having done this quite a few times in the past, rocked their bodies from side to side. He drew soothing circles on the younger’s back, finally watching as his little friend brought his thumb close to his mouth and began sucking on it. At least those were the first signs that Ziyu was actually sleepy. The little boy made himself further comfortable, hiding his head in the crook of Anson’s neck and wrapping his little legs around the taller boy’s middle. “No, Ziyu, the sky isn’t awake. The sky wants you to go to bed now, so it’s quiet and peaceful.”

 

The little babe shook his head against the other’s neck, yet he was unable to formulate words anymore. He closed his Bambi eyes and allowed the other’s body to cushion him comfortably, finally allowing him to enter dreamland within seconds.

 

Anson was sure that his arms would most likely hurt from the way in which he was embracing his younger friend, but if it meant that Ziyu would sleep comfortably, then he would gladly take the pain. Besides, Ziyu was different. His daddy had told him that he was meant to take care of the younger and to always attend his needs. And even though the six-year-old was still trying to understand what made Ziyu so different, he was more than willing to take care of the little babe.

 

Because at the end of the day, he loved Ziyu a little bit too much.

 

Once the little boy had finally fallen asleep, Anson proceeded to lie down again, not really caring about the fact that the little babe was pretty much lying on him. It was quite uncomfortable for Anson, but he didn’t care much as long as Ziyu was comfortable. The six-year-old brought the other’s little, pink teddy bear closer to the child’s arms; the babe proceeded to involuntary pull the little plushie closer to his chest.

 

Anson wrapped his arms protectively around his little friend once again, finally allowing himself to close his tired eyes and enter dreamland as well, not without whispering a quiet, “nighty-night, Ziyu,” oblivious to the figure standing by the door.

 

Luhan couldn’t help but to smile at the sight.

 

He decided that only for tonight, he’d give into Yixing’s request and he’d spend the night at his house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Memory I End Note] It bothers me that once the chapter is posted I can't change anything! It's frustrating me -.-'  
> Snowball is still nothing like Vivi. I wonder what was I thinking when I decided Sehun's dog would be the opposite of Vivi tbh. No regrets tho. I'm still experimenting with the chapter titles btw. I can't figure out how to leave notes at the end of each chapter either. I'm having a mental breakdown here.


	3. Memory II: Baby, Baby! The Secret is Nearly Out, But the Darkness Will Catch Up Unless the Evil Man Leaves Your Pure Little Heart [Along With Your Beloved’s Shadow and Back]

 

Truth to be told, Haowen was dying of embarrassment.

 

He didn’t know how to approach the little blond. Actually, the little brunet didn’t even know where to find the babe. Haowen had gone to the playground and had sacrificed his pride by allowing himself to be surrounded by a whole bunch of mini munchkins that kept running and playing nonstop, completely (and thankfully if he may add) ignoring his presence as he made his way to the swings. That wasn’t really a bad thing, but he had to make himself feel like was doing something heroic in exchange for giving up his pride.

 

His daddy said he had to be a little gentleman, and that was exactly what he was doing.

 

He would have asked Anson to come with him, but his friend had run out of the classroom as soon as he heard the bell. Not really something weird, but he had not waited for Haowen. This (needless to say) had nothing to do with Anson. The little brunet looked around the playground for a few seconds, finally realizing that the little ball of happiness he was looking for was not there.

 

His daddy would probably not be happy at all if Haowen were to walk away, defeated by the fact that his little nemesis was nowhere to be found. His daddy would probably force him to go into the actual classroom to check if the certain bundle of happiness was in there with the teachers.

 

Haowen forced himself to walk toward the classroom on the other side of the playground, internally screaming and scowling at Anson for leaving him alone on his mission. As he approached the classroom, the brunet unconsciously tightened his hold around the pinkish—and quite obnoxious if Haowen may add, for the plastic was covered in doodles of unicorns and strawberry ice cream cones. Haowen didn’t even like strawberry ice cream, but that was beside the point—plastic cover that prettily covered and cushioned the pastry he had (more like his daddy) had purchased the previous day.

 

His little heart was beating fast, and the thought of _actually_ meeting the toddler again scared him a little. What if the munchkin rejected his apology? What if the munchkin refused to talk to him? Well…at least Haowen had tried. His comfort would be the fact that he had tried to apologize at the very least.

 

However, as he entered the classroom and looked for the bundle of blond hair he had come to recognize easily, the sight that welcomed him was not something he was _not_ expecting. Anson was sitting against the wall with the little toddler sitting in between his legs. The child was holding a picture book on his lap and Haowen was quietly reading the little paragraphs for the latter. It was quite an unexpected sight for the brunet. He was glued on his spot, unable to move as he took in the sight of the other two—needless to say that they both looked pretty comfortable.

 

The annoying pink bear was also sitting next to them (or rather Ziyu had placed the little bear there), and Haowen could have sworn it was scowling at him.

 

Haowen’s imagination was apparently at a whole new level.

 

“It’s swing boy!” said the little babe, shifting in between the taller boy’s legs until Anson decided to help him to stand up. Despite the long conversation his baba had had with the four-year-old the previous day, Ziyu was still very scared to walk without someone holding his hand. And thus, being the lovely gentleman his parents were raising him to be, Anson had immediately stood up (placing the picture book next to the little pink teddy bear) and allowed the younger to hold his hand.

 

Had it not been for the fact that Haowen already had the basic understanding that the toddler was different, he would have found the sight a little weird. Then again, not really since Anson loved to take care of those that were younger.

 

“Why is swing boy here?” The little toddler couldn’t understand what was going on. The brunet seemed to be beyond angry the previous day, and yet he seemed to be surprised to see him standing in front of him. As if he couldn’t believe that the older boy had decided to approach him first.

 

Clearing his throat, the brunet proceeded to look away as he shyly extended his arms out and toward the toddler, quietly offering him the prettily—courtesy of his daddy after the nth try—wrapped-up pastry. The pre-k student stared at the pink plastic and admired the pink bow on top, not even thinking twice before he took it and stared at it in what seemed to be amusement and curiosity. Anson smiled, not being able to stop himself from admiring the younger’s facial expressions.

 

Ziyu was an open book. Anson couldn’t wait until the day the younger learned about lies, because in all honestly, his Bambi eyes and facial expressions would most likely give him away. It’d be entertaining—or not since he would make sure to teach Ziyu to never lie. Good boys do not lie.

 

“I-uhm-I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to be mean earlier. You got hurt because of me, so I’m sorry.”

 

Ziyu couldn’t help but to blink.

 

Once.

 

Twice.

 

Thrice.

 

Was swing boy really apologizing to him? Ziyu had certainly not seen that coming. True, he had gotten hurt because he had followed the older boy out of the playground, but it was not like it had been the other boy’s fault.

 

True, he had been mean to Ziyu the previous day, but the four-year-old knew that it wasn’t something the other boy had done on purpose. The elder didn’t even know that Ziyu was running after him. And by the time he skipped the ball, it had been already too late for him to scream for help.

 

Ziyu was little, but he was aware of his own mistakes.

 

The only thing he didn’t seem to understand was that he could still run around like the other kids his age. He was too blinded by the fear of getting hurt again, and that was something he was not aware of.

 

“Haowen, you hurt Ziyu?” asked the dark-haired boy as he stared at his two friends consecutively, attempting to figure out the awkward interaction in between the two of them. Haowen, however, shook his head. He was about to explain that he had been mean to the younger the prior day, but alas! Ziyu had decided to explain the whole thing by himself.

 

“Gege, Ziyu tried playing with swing boy yesterday, but he don’t wanna. Ziyu followed swing boy.” The little brunet interrupted the explanation there because, “Haowen! My name is Haowen!” but his words were completely ignored by the four-year-old, whom instead continued with his explanation. “But swing boy don’t see Ziyu. Swing boy moved so ball don’t hit him, but ball hit Ziyu instead!”

 

Haowen physically facepalmed himself.

 

It was a good thing that Anson was used to the younger’s underdeveloped speech, for he had completely understood the other’s (confusing, if Haowen were to add) explanation. The dark-haired boy stared at his little friend in understanding, unable to stop himself from stroking the babe’s honey blond locks. He then smiled at his best friend and gave the other thumbs-up for taking the initiative and apologizing to Ziyu. Anson understood completely that his friend wasn’t at fault, but he also understood Haowen’s feelings of guilt.

 

“Do swing boy wanna stay?” asked the little four-year-old, eyes full of what seemed to be hope. Haowen couldn’t bring himself to reject the offer. Instead, he let out a sigh and proceeded to sit down next to the obnoxious pink teddy bear. Anson proceeded to sit once again, spreading his legs apart to allow the little babe to sit in between them.

 

Ziyu, however, had other plans.

 

He proceeded to crawl on the floor little by little (because last night he found out his knees scraped a little too and it hurt to move fast), until he finally reached the little brunet. He sat in front of the six-year-old, offering the other a (very suspicious from Haowen’s perspective) smile. Haowen merely stared at the little babe as if he had grown another head. It was then that Anson told him to spread his legs a bit so Ziyu could sit in between them.

 

Haowen’s eyes widened immediately, unconsciously shaking his head right away. Ziyu, however, merely pouted at the elder’s rejection, causing him to look like a sad, dejected puppy. Haowen hated the fact that Ziyu’s puppy frown was making him feel even more guilty, and he let out another sigh of annoyance. He shut his eyes close and began to spread his legs for the younger to sit in between them, completely oblivious to the smile forming on his best friend’s face. The child crawled in between the elder’s legs, happily sighing in content and resting his back against the older boy’s chest.

 

The six-year-old told himself he was only doing this because he owed the younger that much at the very least. He fought his need to push the other and run away from the child’s classroom. He couldn’t bring himself to concentrate on whatever Anson was reading, for he was trying his very best to not move a single muscle. Progressively, the four-year-old finished his pastry (which he tried sharing with the other two boys, albeit both rejected his offer) and proceeded to lick off the frosting from his fingers.

 

Haowen cringed at the younger’s action after witnessing Ziyu wiping the rest on his clothes. Anson merely stood up from his spot and brought back a few of the tissues on one of the tables. He then helped the younger to wipe his hands properly, finally receiving a barely audible ‘thank you’ from the little babe. And as the dark-haired boy proceeded with the story he was reading, the little babe brought his thumb close to his lips and fell asleep, oblivious to the pair of eyes watching him surrendering to unconsciousness.

 

When the bell rang, Anson let the teacher know that Ziyu had fallen asleep. They watched as the teacher picked up the sleeping child from in between Haowen’s legs, as she kindly thanked them for staying with him. Haowen watched as the other kids entered the classroom and went to get ready to get picked up. Anson concluded that it was a good thing that Ziyu was done for the day. He would get a well-deserved nap for being a good boy.

 

Haowen, however, concluded that having the younger sit in between his legs was not as bad as he thought it would. Needless to mention the fact that it wasn’t as bad either when the little babe fell asleep against him. Spending recess with Ziyu was not as bad as he thought it’d be.

 

Unfortunately for the six-year-old, he had made himself believe that this was only because he felt bad for causing the child to get hurt. He had made himself believe that he was only going to be nice to Ziyu today to make himself feel less guilty. He made himself believe that he was only going to be nice to Ziyu today to ease his already-heavy heart.

 

Because at the end of the day, Haowen didn’t mind Ziyu as much. He was just making himself believe he didn’t want anything to do with him.

 

Oh, but how wrong could he possibly be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Sehun, it’s not that hard to give me details! Why are you running away? Sehun!”

 

The brunet had been avoiding his friends all morning. He had taken the day off to finally make some proper breakfast for his six-year-old, also scaring the crap out of Snowball when he had picked up his little ball of fur and taken it upon himself to examine him. Sehun was not one to bathe his pet with human products, which is precisely why he had been examining the puppy’s fur for the past two days. He had also remembered that it was time for Snowball’s flea medicine, and it was not like the puppy couldn’t have a regular check-up.

 

A responsible parent can never be too sure.

 

Unfortunately for the brunet, his best friend (aka the most annoying person alive, other than Byun Baekhyun) had the morning off too, and he had decided to pay an unexpected visit to Sehun after he had dropped off his son at school. Not that Sehun cared much, but seriously? Didn’t he have a life? And why did he have to tag along to go to the vet? There was no need for Kim Jongin to be there with him at all. Period.

 

“Would you leave me alone already? It was only a date, there’s no need for you and Baekhyun to be all over my case. Needless to remind you, he was the one who set me up for it,” said the brunet sending a glare at his best friend. He could not bring himself to tell Jongin the details. It’s not like there were many details to begin with. They had merely conversed like two regular adults—minus the shock of actually being each other’s blind date, that is. Those were little details he did not need to reveal.

 

“Yes, there is? You haven’t had a proper date since Haowen came into your life. Give yourself a break and give me back my sanity, will you? Oh Sehun finally dating again! And how’s the carrier by the way? I heard from Baekhyun that he’s really cute.” Jongin was sending the brunet a mischievous smile and biting his lower lip to make his point clear. Sehun ignored his best friend and kept his eyes on the road instead.

 

Through the mirror, he could see the figure of his little poodle sulking in the back seat, shamelessly giving his owner the cold shoulder as he remained rooted against the seat. The back windows were wide open for the little poodle to stick his head out. Snowball, however, had figured out that he was being taken to the vet and not to the park.

 

Haowen was at school, and there was no way Sehun would take him to the park at nearly ten in the morning. Oh yeah, Snowball knew Sehun a little bit too well. He had tried going under Haowen’s bed, but the brunet had made sure to close all the doors in the house to stop the little troublemaker from making his life difficult. And when Snowball had run toward Jongin for protection, his comrade had betrayed him and easily given him up for the sake of some “juicy information.”

 

Snowball had been betrayed by both Sehun and Jongin.

 

“Snowball, this is for your own good. You know you need that flea medication if you want to keep getting your park privileges. I am not betraying you.” Jongin turned his head towards the sulking poodle and quietly whispered, “he totally betrayed you on purpose. He told me so,” which earned him a smack on the shoulder from no one other than Sehun. He did not need Snowball to be even more pissed off at him. The sassy poodle would most likely ruin the new socks he had just purchased to get back at Sehun.

 

“To answer your question, yes, Luhan is quite cute if I may add. However, this isn’t about looks, Jongin. It’s about his persona. I really liked his personality. He’s quite an interesting individual. And he understands me really well, too. He has a four-year-old carrier so he and I clicked right away,” said Sehun as they entered the parking lot of the vet clinic. Snowball let out a tiny whimper that did not go unnoticed by Sehun. Jongin proceeded to get out of the passenger seat and fetched the little poodle from the back seat instead.

 

Yeah, running away was not an option. Thus, the little troublemaker gave up and allowed Jongin (because he was still feeling betrayed by his owner) to carry him inside.

 

“That sounds like fun. If things work out, your mini you will not be alone anymore. He’ll have someone to play with,” said Jongin genuinely grinning at his best friend. Although Jongin had a point, Sehun couldn’t help but to feel a little bit insecure about it. After all, Haowen did admit that he had caused someone to get hurt. And no one other than a carrier, whom by the way was not even in kindergartner yet. If things did work out between he and the other pretty carrier, how would Haowen take the sudden addition to the family?

 

It was clear that Haowen did not interact with other carriers. What would happen if Haowen and Luhan’s son didn’t get along? Sehun was completely inexperienced when it came to carriers, for he had never really associated himself with them—as much, that is. If anything, he could get advice from Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, right?

 

“Why do you suddenly look like you’re constipated?” Asked Jongin as they wrote their names down on the guests list (because for some reason the well-known secretary at the front was nowhere to be found?) and proceeded to sit down and wait. “Is something worrying you? Does Luhan not like animals? Don’t worry. I can take care of Snowball for you. You’ll get to come home and see him every day if you want.”

 

Jongin was crazy if he thought that Sehun would ever give up his dog. He’d much rather walk away from a potential prospect than to give up his other son for the sake of someone else. Snowball had been in his life for way too long to suddenly give him up.

 

Nope. Never happening.

 

He was not about to burst his best friend’s bubble though. He was mean, but not _that_ mean.

 

However, Jongin had brought up a good point. What if Luhan didn’t like animals? Because truth to be told, Sehun did like Luhan. Not enough to just dive in for a relationship, but enough to consider him as a potential partner. That would change if Luhan wasn’t fond of animals though. Snowball was Haowen’s companion (and Sehun’s as well) so there was no way he’d choose Luhan over his puppy.

 

“Your intentions are well appreciated, but no. That’s not it. It’s just that Haowen told me he isn’t fond of carriers. He told me that he got a pre-kinder student hurt because he was being mean. It was not on purpose, but the little boy got hurt because of him. He reminds me so much of myself when I was a kid, Jongin, and we both know that’s not a good thing,” said the brunet as he attempted to pat Snowball only to be rejected by the puppy right away. Snowball had on purposely growled at him, causing the brunet to withdraw his hand right away.

 

Sehun glared at the furry ball of anger and gave up trying to comfort him.

 

“Well, he is your son, Sehun. You need to expose him a bit more to carriers. I think that having a playdate with Luhan’s son might not be a bad idea. Next time you and Luhan go out together, take the kids with you. Get them to know each other. See how Haowen reacts being around Luhan and his son. It’s better to get them to start getting to know each other now than later when you guys make things official,” said Jongin while Sehun considered the idea.

 

The fact that Jongin was simply assuming that something would happen between Luhan and himself was not really surprising. What was surprising to the brunet was the fact that Jongin had not made any comments about Sehun and Haowen being quite alike. Not physically, but their personalities seemed to be quite similar. Under other circumstances, Sehun would have questioned his best friend, but he was quite thankful to the male for giving him an idea.

 

It wasn’t like he was not planning to ask Luhan to hangout like friends, but maybe taking the kids along was not a bad idea. Perhaps involving the kids seemed too much, for the honey blond male would probably think they were moving too fast; though from Sehun’s perfective that was not the case. Even if things didn’t work out between the two of them, Haowen would at least have some experience with another carrier. His son did not need to grow up with the mentality that he did not need friends that seemed different.

 

Sehun would know better. That used to be his mentality. He was still wondering how was it that Kyungsoo never slapped the crap out of him for being an idiot back then when they were younger. He did not want Haowen to follow the same path. He wanted his son to understand that being different is not a bad thing, nor is it something he should take into consideration when making new friends.

 

Before Sehun could say anything else, the certain assistant they had not seen earlier walked into the lobby followed by no one other than the veterinarian they came to visit (because saying that Snowball had come for a visit on his own sounded completely unbelievable. He had tried to bite Jongdae’s finger off on his very first visit, but Jongdae had laughed and had somehow managed to calm down the puppy). “Look who’s here! It’s the inseparable trio!” said Minseok grinning from ear to ear at the sight of his friends.

 

Sehun and Jongin proceeded to greet the other two before Jongdae told them to follow him into the examination office—not without playfully pressing his lips against Minseok’s forehead and kindly asking him to make a last phone call to Mr. Kim Junmyun to confirm their three o’clock appointment to perform surgery on his dog.

 

The interaction was way too cute to not cringe, Sehun and Jongin noted.

 

And as the two of them placed Snowball on the examination table, Jongdae finally walked in carrying Snowball’s file in his hands. Sehun noted that Snowball had become completely attached to Jongin, making the brunet realize that it would take a lot of effort to get puppy to talk to him again—and by talk, he meant getting the poodle to wage his tail at Sehun again.

 

“A check-up, I’m assuming,” said Jongdae, kindly smiling at the two males in front of him. Sehun nodded at the young vet and proceeded to observe the way in which Jongdae examined his little puppy. Snowball was not particularly fighting Jongdae, but rather allowing him to perform the quick examination without struggling as much. Probably to get it over with. And as Jongdae was putting on his gloves and kindly squeezed out some lube to perform a quick prostate examination on the puppy, he decided to break the comfortable silence amongst them.

 

“By the way, Sehun, I never asked you why you named your dog Snowball,” said the young doctor as Jongin came from behind and held the little puppy with care an affection. The little furry ball was completely oblivious to the vet’s actions—spreading the lube on his gloved hand. Sehun sent Jongdae a look of confusion. After all, he had been Snowball’s vet for the past year and a half since the male had taken his father’s place after the elder retired and he graduated vet school. Finally understanding the younger’s confusion, Jongdae proceeded to send Sehun a mischievous smile before elaborating on his question. “It’s because you named him Snowball, but your poodle is actually brown and not white.”

 

Sehun was dumbfounded.

 

It had taken Jongdae a year a half (actually a little bit more than that since he had known the male since before his father retired) to ask him that? Jongdae was definitely an interesting individual. However, the brunet chuckled and proceeded to answer the question. “Well, I let my mom name him. When I first got Snowball he managed to get himself covered in flour when I was at school back in junior year. My mom found him on the floor rolling on a pile of flour he had somehow managed to create. He was fluffy and little at that time and, according to mom, he resembled a snowball. So she named him that.”

 

Jongdae nodded at the other’s explanation and proceeded to finally perform the prostate check-up, slightly chuckling to himself when he noticed the way in which Jongin had turned his head.

 

“Why are you looking away? You’re going to get your prostate checked for the very first time in a few years!” Sehun laughed at Jongin and Jongdae’s interaction and secretly hoped he got the privilege to be there when the day came and Jongin had his first check-up. It’d be a very interesting thing to watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Gege! Ziyu want gege to read picture book again!” An overly hyper Ziyu screamed at the figures of Anson and Haowen who were barely walking through the door of the four-year-old’s classroom. It wasn’t that Haowen wanted to be there, but Anson had mentioned that he was planning to spend recess with Ziyu.

 

It had been like that for quite a few days already.

 

Haowen had come to realize that Ziyu didn’t play on the swings anymore. He had realized that Ziyu didn’t walk around the playground much nowadays. He had come to realize that Ziyu was constantly holding onto Anson whenever they were together. In fact, Ziyu tried to not move around as much.

 

Haowen felt guilty enough to accompany Anson to see the younger every single day. According to Anson, Ziyu didn’t seem to be getting better at all. He had tried to explain that everything would be okay as long as he was more careful and paid attention to his surroundings. Yifan and Yixing had also tried to talk to Ziyu about it, but so far there was no progress at all. Luhan had been the one to somehow (probably by begging the lord to pity him enough and shed him some light) make Ziyu believe that he wouldn’t get hurt in the future.

 

It wasn’t really a lie; Ziyu needed to learn how to be precautious. Unfortunately for the adults, the little one was still four years old. He would not understand anything until he was probably much older. Ziyu’s speech was barely starting to develop, and there was still a long way before learning how to speak properly, unlike Haowen and Anson.

 

In a way, it was fairly easy to tell that Ziyu was still scared. Haowen could tell. Anson could tell.

 

And the more the younger seemed to close himself up, the guiltier Haowen felt.

 

He had decided to start acting nicer to the little boy in order to make himself feel less guilty. Tolerating Ziyu seemed like a lot of work, but Haowen was getting used to the other’s irritating tactics. An example of this would be Ziyu’s need to sit in between someone’s legs while reading a book. It was weird to see Anson being a complete softie for the little boy. The first time the three of them attempted to read a book together, Haowen couldn’t find it in himself to push the other away, and thus had allowed the little babe to sit in between his legs and even allowed him to fall asleep on him.

 

But it was a once in a lifetime experience only.

 

Things were slightly different now.

 

Ziyu had attempted to sit in between his legs way too many times for Haowen to keep count of. Not to mention Anson’s playful gestures and pokes, indiscrete kisses and snuggles that had the four-year-old laughing at the top of his lungs. Haowen couldn’t take it. Ziyu was also a boy. He didn’t seem to understand exactly what made him so different—other than his prettiness and his age, that is.

 

Now, however, the six-year-old seemed to have already gotten used to the others’ behaviour and over-the-top affection. In particularly Anson’s.

 

It didn’t mean that he allowed Ziyu to do anything he wanted. Haowen completely refused to hold the younger’s hand. He refused to show any form of physical contact or even talk to the other in a childish manner. Of course, Haowen was a child himself, but Ziyu had no idea how to formulate or even understand simple sentences.

 

In all honestly, Haowen knew that Ziyu was different. He just didn’t understand what made him so different. “Ziyu is different from us, Haowen. In order to understand him, you need to act like him,” said Anson, one afternoon after recess when Haowen had not being able to stand it anymore and had walked out of the little babe’s class. He remembered that Anson didn’t even call him to come back. Not that this bothered Haowen since his friend had mentioned that he’s known Ziyu since he was a baby, but it made him realize that Anson really did take care of the younger.

 

“The same one from last week? Don’t you want to try to do something else today? Do you want to play with me and Haowen? We can go outside and play on the swings.” Ziyu shook his head at the mention of the swings. The bad memories of the older boy rejecting him and walking away from him were enough to make the four-year-old not want to play outside. It meant that he’d have to physically move around and play; it implied that anything could happen. Ziyu did not want to risk it.

 

And apparently Anson could see it, too.

 

Haowen couldn’t help but to be irritated. His daddy had taught him that accidents happen. Sehun had taught him that that when a person falls, it teaches them to be more careful. Scraping one’s self is a battle scar; it teaches a person that doing things differently next time will be better and safer. Haowen had fallen and scraped his legs enough times to lose count. And all those times his daddy and his uncles had been there to encourage him to stand up and keep doing what he was doing.

 

So why was it so difficult for the four-year-old to get over his fear?

 

“I say we go out to the swings,” said the little brunet, crossing his arms against his chest and directly talking to Anson rather than the little boy. Because in Haowen’s little head, if he convinced Anson to go out and play, Ziyu would give in and say yes as well.

 

That didn’t seem to be the case, however, for the little carrier had taken his stand right away.

 

“Ziyu don’t wanna!”

 

“Well, Ziyu, it’s been over a week! You should go play outside. Let’s go.”

 

“No!”

 

If Haowen was previously annoyed, then now he was officially angry at the little boy. The younger’s stubbornness along with Haowen’s irritability was not a good combination. Anson was somewhere in between stopping his friend from trying to convince the little carrier (because he knew Sehun was bound to lose the argument) and stopping Ziyu from fighting the older boy for trying to help.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Big boys will hurt Ziyu again. Ziyu don’t wanna!”

 

“Nothing will happen!”

 

“It will so!”

 

“Do you ever stop talking?”

 

That was it. Anson was not going to stand still and let Haowen’s irritation get the best of him and talk to the younger in a mean way. Ziyu always came first.

 

“Haowen, I think you should stop. It’s okay if Ziyu doesn’t want to go outside. We can read another book.”

 

Haowen couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at his friend. He wasn’t helping Ziyu at all. He was merely giving in and allowing him to remain in his comfort zone. Besides, Ziyu was being too stubborn! It seemed to the brunet as if he younger did not want to be helped at all.

 

Unable to take it anymore, the six-year-old turned around and walked out of the classroom. He was not going to stay there with them and read yet another fairy tale. They did that every single day and Haowen was not up for it. He simply walked away without saying anything else to the other two, completely oblivious to the look of the rejection on the four-year-old’s face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sehun had to admit it.

 

He was liking the pretty carrier more and more as the days went by.

 

They had met a couple of times already, never once feeling uncomfortable or forced into creating a conversation. Luhan had to admit that Sehun’s stories were really something. The most recent story involved how Sehun’s poodle was a little brat that had completely refused to let Sehun love him after visiting the vet.

 

Luhan couldn’t help but to pity Sehun for having to deal with such a sassy puppy.

 

Truth to be told, Luhan was yet to find out that Sehun and Yixing were not really acquainted at all. He was yet to find out that the one that planned their meet-up was no one other than a mere friend of the Chinese male and the person in charge of the afternoon shift at the bakery (because according to Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and he were a package: “Buy one, get one free”). Sehun assumed that Luhan knew, so why bring it up? It wasn’t even necessary to begin with. They already spent enough time together and enjoyed each other’s company already.

 

Luhan had not said anything to Yixing after their blind date.

 

In fact, Yixing didn’t really know anything about the date at all.

 

It wasn’t that Luhan didn’t want to tell him, but he was not ready yet. And what if things didn’t really work out? What if Sehun lost interest after the second meet up—which thankfully didn’t happen—and Luhan was forced to tell Yixing that it didn’t work out? To Luhan, confirming something that didn’t exist yet was a waste of time. It required a lot of explaining and Luhan wasn’t ready for that just yet. Besides, Yixing would eventually ask.

 

“I know this is sudden and completely unexpected. And you’ll probably think that I’m moving too fast, but I really want us to bring our kids along next time we meet,” said the brunet taking a sip of his chocolate flavored bubble tea, whereas Luhan nervously started playing with the straw of his own drink.

 

Honestly, Luhan had thought about that.

 

He had concluded that it’d be a good idea if Haowen—whom he was yet to meet—and Ziyu started to join them on their meetings. Because truth to the told, if things did work out between Sehun and he, then it’d be better for the kids to start getting to known each other. However, a whole bunch of thoughts went through Luhan’s head when Sehun mentioned the kids.

 

What if Haowen didn’t like him? What would happen if Haowen didn’t accept him? How was he supposed to get close to the six-year-old then? What if Sehun wasn’t pleased with the way he interacted with his son? What about Ziyu? What if his little carrier didn’t feel comfortable around Sehun? What if Ziyu and Haowen didn’t like each other at all? What if—

 

“Stop worrying too much, Luhan. I think it’ll be good for the kids to get familiarized with each other. It’s just a matter of time, trust me,” said the brunet, flashing the other carrier a genuine smile that made Luhan blush in embarrassment.

 

Was I really that obvious?

 

“Besides, it’ll be fun with the kids around. It will be a different experience for both of us, don’t you think?”

 

Nodding at the other’s question, the honey blond male proceeded to take a sip from his own drink, shyly attempting to take a glance at the male sitting in front of him. Sehun was typing a quick reply to someone on his phone, unconsciously smiling to himself as he quietly read the text his sad excuse of a best friend had sent him. And in the mist of admiring the brunet, Luhan had been more than embarrassed when the brunet caught him staring. Luhan turned his head right away, suddenly finding the busy streets more interesting than the person sitting across.

 

The little red blush on the other’s face was enough to put a smile on Sehun, quickly pressing sent before directing his entire attention to the carrier in front of him.

 

Because truth to be told, Luhan was quite the sight Sehun would enjoy looking at every single day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_“So you’re on another date with the pretty carrier? Do you really like him that much?”_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah. I really do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Daddy, why isn’t Snowball coming with us if we’re going to the park?” Haowen was currently standing by the doorframe of Sehun’s room, unconsciously fixing the button-up shirt he had chosen to wear on his own. In fact, Haowen had chosen his entire outfit. Sehun had simply offered some help to his six-year-old to match the colors together. After all, even Sehun himself was not fond of the idea of wearing a blue button-up shirt with (unnecessarily bright, needless to add really) orange shorts. And to add a cherry on top, Haowen was also planning to wear his red converse.

 

Sehun almost had a heart attack when his colorful (for a lack of a better word) bundle of happiness walked into his room.

 

It had taken Sehun less than thirty seconds to drag his son back into his room to help him pick another outfit—but those were unnecessary details no one had to know about.

 

Now, fully dressed in a white button-up shirt and a pair of pastel blue shorts (Sehun had decided he’d let his son wear his white converse this time), the little boy was patiently waiting for his daddy to finish getting ready. The weather was nice; it was hot enough to let them go out wearing thin clothing, but not enough to make them feel as if they’d pass out from a heat-stroke. In fact, Sehun had decided to wear a button-up shirt (albeit his was blue) and pair of jeans.

 

He looked beyond casual if anyone were to add.

 

Jongin would probably make a joke out of them, for they were nearly matching. Under other circumstances, Sehun would have worn a thin, long sleeve to not expose his arm tattoos. This time, however, he decided he’d not cover it up. He didn’t cover it not because he was ashamed of his, but rather because of the impression it had on other (needless to say, much older than Sehun) parents whenever he and Haowen spent time together outside the house.

 

Because it wasn’t enough for them to get surprised when Haowen referred to Sehun as ‘daddy’ but they apparently showed an equal response when Sehun’s tattoo sleeve was exposed.

 

This, however, went disregarded by the brunet, for he was way too excited to see Luhan (for the second time this week) and his little son. Haowen didn’t really understand his father’s unexpected request to get ready to go to the park, but he wasn’t complaining either. The only thing he couldn’t understand was the reason behind his father’s decision to not take Snowball with them.

 

“We’re going to go meet up with someone, buddy. It means that he’ll have to be on a leash instead of running freely around the park. I don’t think Snowball will enjoy that. Jongin offered to take care of him until we come back. I’m sure Snowball doesn’t mind,” said the brunet as he kindly ruffled the six-year-old’s hair and disregarded his child’s complain: “no! I just brushed my hair, daddy!”

 

Truth to be told, Snowball seemed to be back to normal now. Sehun had never been so glad to find the other happily munching on his socks and ripping them apart. It was a sign that Snowball wasn’t angry at Sehun anymore. Sehun went as far as petting the little troublemaker, earning himself an excited response from the poodle whose tail kept wagging uncontrollably.

 

Sehun had gone all out. He had given the puppy belly rubs until the fluffy little thing had ran away from him.

 

He would make sure to walk Snowball to make it up to the pup next time. One thing was for sure though—Snowball would be in puppy heaven for the next few weeks with all of treats Sehun was planning to buy for him. The little ball of fluffiness deserved that much at the very least.

 

When the elder finally finished getting dressed, he pulled his son and the little puppy to his car, making sure the six-year-old was bucked in properly whilst the pup claimed the left window seat almost immediately. Haowen couldn’t help but to smile at his partner in crime; Sehun let out a sigh as he didn’t try to stop the little smile that was tugging at the corners of his lips. Snowball would somehow (if not Haowen, really) be the death of him.

 

The trip went as planned: he dropped off Snowball at Jongin’s house, who kindly welcomed the little fluffy ball with open arms. Sehun had threatened his best friend prior to leaving his house, reminding him that he’d better give up Snowball at the end of the day, otherwise he’d make sure to hunt down Jongin. Not that Jongin cared, but Kyungsoo loved Sehun and Haowen too much to willingly become his partner in crime to kidnap Snowball.

 

He had tried in the past.

 

It didn’t work out.

 

After leaving Jongin’s house, Sehun had made a quick stop at a children’s store. Haowen had immediately wandered off to the toys’ section to look for something he might like—Sehun was working on getting rid of his son’s habit of asking for a new toy whenever they went out. So far, Haowen had made some progress—whilst Sehun quietly followed his son and inspected his surroundings. Honestly, Luhan and he had agreed to not buy anything for the kids. Sehun, however, couldn’t help it. It seemed to him a bit impolite to finally meet Luhan’s little son empty handed.

 

What could Ziyu possibly like? He was technically still a toddler.

 

Sehun remembered the things that Haowen enjoyed when he was four: Sweets, guns (that he kept destroying little by little), remote controller cars (which by the way he didn’t even know how to use, and yet always managed to somehow destroy, if not lose), and also videogames, though that was probably Sehun’s fault. He wanted to keep himself entertained when Haowen was spending the day with his grandparents, so he bought an Xbox for himself. Somewhere along the lines, Haowen claimed said device as his. Not that Sehun minded, but he might be guilty for what seemed to be turning into an addiction.

 

Now that he thought about it, he had to work on getting rid of Haowen’s almost addiction before it actually turned into one.

 

Today was not about Haowen…well technically it was, but Sehun was currently more concerned about Ziyu rather than his own son (kind of harsh, but that was his current reality). The brunet eyed every single item in the toddler’s section, finally narrowing down his choices to coloring books, stuffed animals, and several different fairy tail books. Buying clothes for the four-year-old was something that crossed the brunet’s mind, but the thought of Ziyu having his own style was enough to remove the thought out of his head.

 

If only the brunet had known that Luhan still dressed up his little son.

 

“Daddy, this is the game I was talking to you about! It’s called street fighter and I heard uncle Jongin saying that it was a good game,” said the six-year-old inspecting the green box that contained the game. In all honesty, Sehun was planning to buy the game for himself, not for the six-year-old. Haowen had a stash of games that belonged to him and Sehun kept a small stash of his own in a hidden corner of his closet. Street fighter was a game he had been wanting to get just so he could kick Jongin’s butt.

 

That was a no-no zone for Haowen.

 

“Baby, I don’t think this is a game you can play. This is too difficult and it’s also rated NC-17. You still got 11 years to go,” said the brunet inspecting his surroundings until his eyes landed on a game that seemed to be interesting enough to entertain his son. “What about the new version of Minecraft? Didn’t you mention you wanted to give it a try?” The six-year-old nodded and proceeded to accept the game his father was suggesting, completely oblivious to the way in which the brunet seemed to be hiding the game he had originally asked for.

 

Sehun was mentally thanking his son for finding his game.

 

It was then that another idea crossed the elder’s mind.

 

“Baby, if you could buy something for a four-year-old, what would you buy?” The fact that Sehun was asking his six-year-old for help was degrading enough. In all honesty, he had no idea what to buy for Ziyu (other than candy because you can never go wrong with candy). Hopefully Haowen could somehow help him, though Sehun doubted it. Haowen wasn’t fond of younger kids. He had even (not on purposely) caused a four-year-old to fall down because he was being mean. Though, Sehun felt like asking Haowen for some help felt like the right thing to do.

 

The six-year old thought for a moment about his daddy’s question. His thoughts drifted back to Anson and Ziyu, for they were always reading a book. Ziyu was always carrying a little pink teddy bear with him. Ziyu spent most of his time coloring in class (or so Haowen assumed) and he was always being babied around.

 

Yeah, Haowen didn’t really have any good experiences with Ziyu now that he thought about it. However, the little brunet had come to realize that Ziyu liked to read—more like loved to be read since he couldn’t read by himself yet—because he liked to admire the pretty pictures on the books. A book sounded like a good gift for someone of Ziyu’s age.

 

“A book to read?” said the six-year-old with innocence, having completely based his decision on the one person he was not as fond of. Not because he had spent the last few weeks with Anson and Ziyu, but rather because Ziyu was the only four-year-old he knew. It somehow made sense to the younger to use Ziyu to answer his daddy’s question. “I think fairy tale books, daddy.”

 

Sehun didn’t question his son. Besides, a fairy tail book was one of his options, so why not go for it?

 

The brunet paid for both games (Minecraft and Street Fighter) and for Ziyu’s new fairy tail book, hoping the four-year-old would like the gift. Without much thought, the two brunets went back to the car, finally heading off to the park where they were to meet with Sehun’s friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Baba, why cook so many cuties?”

 

Luhan had arrived to the park earlier than expected. Not because he wanted to see Sehun already (nope! That was definitely _not_ one of the reasons!) but because he also wanted to find a good spot where they could all sit down and eat the cupcakes Luhan had baked early in the morning. Sehun and he had agreed to not buy anything for the kids, but Luhan couldn’t help himself. Ziyu loved cupcakes. Haowen was only six years old, he probably enjoyed pastries and sweets as much as his baby did.

 

“I bake cuties, baby, not cook them.” The four-year-old nodded enthusiastically at his baba, earning himself a knowing smile from the pretty male, for he knew that his little carrier had probably not understood what he had just said. The honey blond male proceeded to pick up his tiny son, sweetly bringing Ziyu closer to him and pampering the toddler with kisses. Ziyu’s giggles erupted around him, making Luhan’s heart flutter at the sight of his pretty toddler clinging onto him like a little koala bear.

 

Yes, they had arrived a little bit earlier than intended, but that was okay. Luhan enjoyed being prepared, and in terms of meeting new people—in this case, Ziyu meeting someone new in Luhan’s life, which rarely happened since Luhan didn’t socialize much—one could never be too sure. Yes, Luhan had been a little worried. What if Sehun’s son didn’t like him? What if Haowen and Ziyu didn’t get along? How could Sehun and he even try to have a relationship if their kids didn’t get along? Ziyu was naturally playful and a little darling, but that was also due to his genetic make-up.

 

And Haowen? What if Haowen couldn’t deal with Ziyu’s bubbliness and playful nature?

 

“Baba, why gege not here? Ziyu want Anson ge.” The four-year-old pouted (rather cutely) at his own statement, remembering that Anson had not come with them. He had just seen the older boy the night before since Yifan and Yixing unexpectedly showed up at Luhan’s house unannounced. Luhan had been rather surprised at the unexpected visit, but nevertheless welcomed his best friends with open arms.

 

Luhan was thankful to Yixing for not asking any questions or pressuring him into talking about Sehun. Yixing had reasoned that Luhan would eventually open up. It was rather obvious to the male that his best friend met up with Sehun several times, for he had happily accepted to watch over Ziyu while Luhan went out. Due to his young age, Ziyu was not ready to be enrolled into other activities, such as taking piano lessons or practicing any sports. Unlike Anson (Yixing had taken it upon himself to keep his child entertained by enrolling him into piano lessons after he heard Anson asking his daddy if he was allowed to learn how to play an instrument) or Haowen (Sehun had mentioned he was planning to enroll his son into a community soccer team since Haowen seemed to like the sport), his little son could not be enrolled into anything that could be too hard for him.

 

Ziyu was not physically ready to play any sports. He still lacked the attention to learn how to play an instrument. The only thing he did not lack of was his need for cuddles and snuggles. Maybe by the time he turned five he’d be ready to start practicing something he enjoyed.

 

“Anson had his piano lessons earlier on today, baby. You’re going to meet someone else, though. I’m sure you’ll like him a lot,” said the pretty blond male handing his little son a box of apple juice, which was immediately accepted by the four-year-old.

 

Luhan was about to pull out a few coloring books for Ziyu to entertain himself when he caught sight of Sehun approaching them.

 

The first thing that Luhan noticed was the little figure that was currently walking side to side with the brunet, hand in hand with each other and outfits nearly matching. Luhan couldn’t help but to smile at the sight, for he could not help but to notice the similarities between the two of them. For instance, Haowen looked exactly like Sehun. He was sure that there was no need for a DNA test, for he realized that Haowen’s resemblance to his dad was enough to end all possible arising doubts of the child not being his son—not that there would ever be any doubts to begin with.

 

The second thing Luhan noticed was the sleeve tattoo decorating Sehun’s right arm.

 

In all honestly, it was quite a sight. An unexplainable feeling was filling his inside, nearly causing him to collapse. Luhan shook his head at the sudden memories that haunted him up until this day, inwardly giving himself a pep-talk about Sehun being a completely different person from the one who fathered his child. The pretty carrier couldn’t help but to tighten his hold around his four-year-old, causing the little babe to look up in concern.

 

Sehun was a completely different person.

 

“Baba?”

 

Sehun was someone he had met a few weeks back. He was not the monster that fathered Ziyu. They had nothing in common other than a sleeve tattoo.

 

“Baba? Do baba know the mister coming? Ziyu is scared.”

 

Sehun’s tattoo was completely different from the other male’s. Sehun’s sleeve was composed tribal patterns in a single shade of black that covered his entire right arm. Ziyu’s father’s tattoo were disgusting figures along with stupid, unrealistic phrases that covered his left arm in numerous shades of colours.

 

They’re not the same, Luhan. Wake up! They’re not the same!

 

“Luhan? Are you okay? Ziyu’s crying.”

 

It was then that Luhan heard the cries of his little toddler as the child hid his face in the crook of his baba’s neck, loudly sobbing at the top of his little lungs as he tried avoiding eye contact with the brunet as much as possible. Luhan tightened his hold around his little son again, quietly comforting the younger and offering Sehun an awkward smile as he stepped away from the brunet for a few moments to calm down the younger.

 

Luhan felt terrible.

 

He had completely disregarded his own child momentarily, blanking out of reality and fearing for the past that he had left behind. He had disregarded his child’s need for comfort and reassurance as he lost himself in the events of the past, painfully reminiscing the terror he’d lived nearly five years ago. He had completely forgotten that he was holding his little carrier, scaring the life out of his own child with his lack of attention and lack of response to the other’s calls for comfort.

 

Luhan, for the first time in a long time, had completely neglected his own child for the sake of assuring himself that everything was fine. He had neglected Ziyu without thinking of the possible consequences. He had made his own child cry out of fear, and Luhan was beyond angry at himself. He couldn’t help the few tears that escaped his own eyes as he apologized to the little babe and brought him even closer to his chest, probably wishing they could merge into one to make up for making the other cry.

 

And as Luhan paced back and forth with a crying Ziyu in his arms, Sehun couldn’t help but to feel as if he had been responsible for Luhan’s unexpected behaviour. Haowen had let go of his daddy’s hand and had moved behind the taller male, securing his little hands on the material of the elder’s jeans as he watched the scene unfolding.

 

Ziyu was crying.

 

Ziyu was being held by someone whom Haowen assumed was his daddy, too.

 

His eyes were not deceiving him; the child crying and clinging for dear life to the other male was no one other than Ziyu. The four-year-old he had accidentally gotten hurt with his lack of attention and lack of emotion when the younger simply wanted to play with him. The same munchkin he had been hanging out with (along with Anson) for the past few days and had mercilessly neglected the previous day at school, for he did not want to read another boring fairytale with him.

 

His daddy was friends with Ziyu’s daddy. Ziyu and he were currently not in good terms with each other. This situation was not something Haowen had expected.

 

However, due to current circumstances with the four-year-old and his emotional breakdown just now, Haowen didn’t think that they’d be talking much for the next excruciating hours. He honestly felt bad enough to treat Ziyu the way he treated him, but that was heavily based on his lack of patience with younger kids. Haowen believed himself to be independent enough already, which was enough to not want to be surrounded by kids like Ziyu—not in a bad way, but rather due to Ziyu constant need for assistance and attention.

 

He felt bad enough to not see the four-year-old running around or playing on the swings or walking without holding onto anyone else. He already felt bad enough for simply walking away from the other the previous day when he couldn’t find it in himself to please the younger again. And now, Haowen felt bad enough to see the toddler having an emotional breakdown and hearing his painful cries. It was quite a sight he did not want to get used to.

 

“Daddy?” the little brunet tugged at the material of his father’s jeans, successfully getting his father’s attention immediately. “Will he be okay?” The brunet nodded at his son and offered him a smile, not really wanting to interrupt the moment between Luhan and Ziyu now that the blond had finally gotten his son to calm down. The brunet proceeded to place the bag he was carrying on the empty table, immediately taking ahold of his son’s hand and leading him toward the two figures that were currently talking to each other. Haowen couldn’t help but to gulp, for was indirectly being forced to talk to Ziyu. How was he supposed to tell his daddy he was the boy he had bought the chocolate cupcake for?

 

“Is everything okay?” the brunet’s voice was enough to catch Luhan’s attention. The pretty male had calmed himself down already and he was still wiping away the remaining tears threatening to come out. He had, however, found it in himself to genuinely smile at the brunet since he had finally come into terms that Sehun was someone he liked. Sehun was the person he was going to try to find his happiness with. Sehun was not like the monster he didn’t dare to even remember. “Yes. Ziyu was only a little scared since you approached us and I didn’t react to your presence right away.”

 

Luhan was currently crunching on the ground to be at eye level with his tiny son, cutely holding the younger’s hands in his to provide the comfort the little one needed. Sehun took it upon himself to imitate the other’s action, also crunching on the ground to be at eye level with Ziyu before he introduced himself: “Hello there! My name is Oh Sehun and I’m your daddy’s friend. I hope we can get along,” said the brunet offering the child a friendly smile and extending his hand for the younger to shake. Ziyu turned his head to seek for his baba’s approval, only receiving a nod from his pretty baba.

 

The younger extended his little hand and placed it in the elder’s much bigger one, shyly smiling to himself as the elder carefully wrapped his entire hand Ziyu’s much smaller one. The four-year-old couldn’t help but to giggle to himself when the brunet brought the tiny hand closer to his lips, pressing a little kiss on the back of Ziyu’s hand and then offering the toddler another genuine smile. Luhan could not help but to smile to himself at the sight of his little baby getting shy. It was entertaining.

 

“Haowen, why don’t you introduce yourself?” asked the brunet to his younger son, who was nearly at eye level with his father. The little brunet took a deep breath before stepping out from behind his father’s back and as he shyly introduced himself to the other duo (or rather to Ziyu’s daddy since Ziyu already knew him).

 

“Hello. My name is Oh Haowen. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the six-year-old, bowing respectfully at the elder and earning himself a smile from the pretty male in front of him. It was then that Ziyu and he made eye contact for the first time since Sehun and he arrived, causing the younger’s eyes to widen at the sight of his stoic nemesis.

 

“Oh! Gege’s friend! Swing boy! Why swing boy here?”

 

Haowen couldn’t help but to let out a tired sigh, already having repeated his name a good fifty times for the younger. Unfortunately, Ziyu still refused to call him by his name, claiming that he couldn’t remember it. Might not be a lie, but it didn’t mean that Haowen liked it.

 

“It’s Haowen, not swing boy. I told you my name already,” said the younger brunet frowning at the toddler in front of him. Ziyu was a good head (and that was being considerate) smaller than Haowen, but the little blond had proven to be able to defend his place.

 

“You know each other?” Asked the pretty male that was currently holding Ziyu from behind, as if helping the younger to stand on his own. It was quite a stab to the six-year-old’s heart for he was the reason why Ziyu was so terrified of even walking on his own now. “Baba! Swing boy is-uh-was? the boy that no share swing with Ziyu. Ziyu tried. He really did. But swing boy not want to,” said the toddler finally dropping the hints about their very first encounter, something that apparently was still a mystery to the other two adults.

 

There was nothing Haowen could say to that. He merely lowered his head and hoped-for time to go faster so this “playdate” could come to an end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Baba, why isn’t Ziyu with us today?”

 

Yixing couldn’t help but to offer his son a genuine smile. Anson seemed to be missing his little friend and from the looks of it he wouldn’t get to see him until Monday again. It wasn’t something surprising, for they tended to visit on Saturdays—for the most part since Yixing had demanded from Luhan to spend Saturdays at home with Yixing and Yifan, so that the kids would get used to each other’s presence. So far, it had been working. Luhan initially being a little rusty after Ziyu was born, but there wasn’t exactly a parenting manual that would teach him how to raise a child.

 

At the time, the pretty carrier had been too emotionally unstable and incapable of doing anything on his own. It was around the time Yixing had taken it upon himself to be Luhan’s form of comfort and support. He had willingly taught Luhan a few things about how to take care of a neonate, something that wasn’t particularly easy for the honey blond male at first. After a couple of months, Luhan had been more than capable of taking care of Ziyu without Yixing’s assistance.

 

Yixing could still remember the way in which Luhan would breakdown alone, silently sobbing and blaming himself for the life the little carrier would have. Yixing had taken it upon himself to help the carrier forget about his past; he had made sure to remind Luhan that Ziyu was the most important thing in his life now. If Anson tried hard to reminiscent his early years of existence, he’d probably be able to remember—albeit not clearly due to his young age—Luhan staying at his house for a few months, for neither Yixing nor Yifan thought Luhan was ready to be on his own just yet.

 

Things really had changed.

 

“Ziyu and Luhan had something to do today. Don’t worry. You’ll see the little princess at school on Monday. I can tell you miss him a lot,” said Yixing enjoying the sight of his blushing six-year-old whilst the younger looked away.

 

He had to admit it was quite entertaining to see Anson taking care of Ziyu.

 

In all honesty, Yixing missed the times when his son chased after the little carrier, probably terrified of the other hurting himself. Not that things were any differently now, but it was way cuter when Anson was younger. After all, he was yet to understand why exactly his daddy wanted him to be so careful with the little carrier. Even today, Anson didn’t fully understand Yifan’s reason for asking him to watch and protect the little carrier.

 

Nevertheless, Yixing couldn’t be any happier. Anson seemed to genuinely want to take care of the younger.

 

The sound of someone knocking on the door seemed to bring Yixing back to reality as he carefully placed the knife down and playfully poked Anson’s nose. The six-year-old smiled at his baba and willingly raised his arms up, patiently waiting for the elder to get him off the kitchen counter. The pair made their way to the front door, immediately opening it after a knock was heard once again. Anson couldn’t help but to smile before throwing himself at the expecting hands of Baekhyun. The pretty carrier had taken it upon himself to squish the life out of the six-year-old (just the exact same way he did with Haowen) before the little boy dragged the male inside the house and into Yifan’s studio so he could show him the piano piece he was currently learning.

 

Chanyeol was left dumbfounded along with Yixing by the door, amused at the six-year-old’s excitement to see Baekhyun. He had not greeted Chanyeol and had even sprinted off somewhere else before Yixing could say anything.

 

“It seems like you’re completely nonexistent to my son,” said Yixing as he closed the door once the taller male had stepped in. Chanyeol couldn’t help but to chuckle at the other’s statement because “I couldn’t have said that better, Yixing.”

 

“It seems to me like Anson has his eyes set on Baekhyun. I wonder if he’s aware that Baekhyun is about twenty years older than him,” said Chanyeol, nearly making Yixing stab him with a fork because of the comment.

 

“It’s actually a bit less than twenty, Yeol. But don’t worry. I’m pretty sure your fiancé is safe. Anson has his eyes set on someone else,” said the male carrier, smiling to himself as he thought of the little boy with adorable cheeks and improper speech that Anson seemed to be missing.

 

It was then that both males heard the sound of someone playing the piano from Yifan’s studio. Both exchanged knowing looks, smiling to themselves as the six-year-old played the piece he was currently learning. It was a little rusty, but he would get better eventually. Besides, Baekhyun was there with him. Anson was apparently looking for someone else’s criteria to improve his skills.

 

Chanyeol couldn’t help but to smile to himself. After all, Baekhyun’s hands were magical. He could play the piano beautifully and flawlessly, successfully submerging everyone in his own delicate realm. He couldn’t blame Anson for seeking for his pretty fiancé’s approval. If anything, Chanyeol couldn’t wait to have his own kids. He could already see Baekhyun teaching their kids to play the piano the same way he patiently taught his students at his studio.

 

The male and the other carrier exchanged a few words in the kitchen. Yixing playfully scolding Chanyeol for munching on the brownies he had worked on earlier in the morning, whilst Chanyeol laughed it off and disregarded Yixing’s scolds. Telling Chanyeol to not eat Yixing’s brownies (or pastries in general) was like telling him to quit being a tattoo artist.

 

Something he loved to do. Something he was passionate about. Chanyeol’s body (unlike Sehun’s whose right arm was covered in pretty patterns of black ink, all the way up and to the right side of his chest) was completely covered in pretty patterns of black ink. Whilst Chanyeol’s arm remained clear, the male’s neck and chest hid the master pieces Yixing’s husband had diligently worked on for months. Because albeit Chanyeol had designed his own tattoos, Yifan had been the one to perfectly make those designs come to life.

 

It had taken Yifan a few months to finally finish the one tattoo Chanyeol enjoyed showing to the rest of the world whenever he walked around shirtless at the tattoo parlor. It was nothing extravagant, but the delicacy of the patterns created was enough to captivate everyone’s attention. There were three Lilies located one below each other, each one surrounded by interrupted leaves in triangular patterns. Right in between the middle flower and the surrounding leaves, Baekhyun’s name had been imprinted in perfectly cursive writing. There were no colors whatsoever. Only darker and lighter shades of black that seemed to compliment the taller male’s skin perfectly.

 

Yixing had to agree that it had been the best tattoo Yifan had ever made.

 

The remaining shades and patters around Chanyeol’s neck and posterior and anterior torso consisted of Samoan patters, very much like Sehun’s right arm. It still amazed Yixing how Chanyeol and Yifan’s style consisted of merely black and white ink. Yixing had never seen color in his husband’s body. He had never seen anything other than black and white ink, for they claimed it gave their pieces a touch of delicacy and class.

 

Up until this day, Sehun and Jongin also agreed.

 

Now that he thought about it, Yixing came to realize that all his friends (the non-carriers, that is) had some sort of decoration on their bodies. He came to realize that the four of them—Sehun, Jongin, Chanyeol, and his husband—heavily based their pieces on Samoan designs, which complimented their bodies and skin perfectly. If Yixing had to choose someone who pulled off the designs really well, then Yixing would pick Jongin. The male’s sun-kissed skin outshined his other three friends. Perhaps that had been the reason why Jongin had decided to get a sleeve on each arm, but that was something Yixing was yet to find out.

 

Or probably the fact that he enjoyed flashing his ink-covered arms to his classes (except for the kids. He wore long sleeves whenever he had his daily ballet lessons with kids).

 

“Xing! Did you hear that? Seems to me little Anson has improved greatly. And all it took was two weeks!” Said Baekhyun as he walked out of the studio with Anson trailing right after him. The pretty carrier had gone to the kitchen where Chanyeol was comfortably seated on a stool by the middle kitchen counter whilst Yixing paced back and forth in between the middle counter and the oven. After all, he was still baking brownies for Anson, Haowen, and Ziyu (who by the way Yixing knew because of his friends since they had to babysit Haowen from time to time and somehow always ended up at the bakery).

 

Chanyeol had stretched his arm out, cueing his fiancé to come closer to him and allowing Chanyeol to wrap his long arm around the other’s middle. The dark-haired male pressed his nose closer to the carrier’s shirt, gladly inhaling Baekhyun’s natural scent whilst the carrier played with the giant’s dark locks. Chanyeol nuzzled his face playfully against Baekhyun’s chest, tickling the carrier and successfully making the other chuckle cutely (or so Yixing thought) at the action. It was then that Chanyeol took his time to stare up at his pretty lover—because for once, the short male seemed to be taller than his fiancé thanks to the other’s sitting position—to admire his features. Baekhyun smiled at Chanyeol, making the taller male’s heart flutter as the smaller male came closer to Chanyeol and joined their lips in an innocent kiss.

 

Had it not been for the fact that Anson was still in the room with them, Yixing would have probably smiled at the other two and even pick on Baekhyun for being a helpless romantic albeit his claims of not being one (because he was only a helpless romantic when it came to his giant). However, the six-year-old was currently standing next to his baba, also staring at the scene in front of them whilst Yixing cleared his throat to get the couple’s attention.

 

It worked fairly fine since the other two stopped their little moment right away, but nonetheless Chanyeol kept his arm around his pretty carrier’s waist. The taller male couldn’t help but to chuckle at Anson’s face, for the child couldn’t help but to scrunch his nose at the couple.

 

“One day, Anson, you’ll understand. One day,” said Chanyeol, playfully pressing a kiss on Bakehyun’s cheek, only to earn himself a smack from the petite male. He completely ignored Yixing’s, “serves you right,” as he laughed at the six-year-old’s sudden blush.

 

He was probably thinking about Ziyu, Yixing thought.

 

“Baba, I’ll go to the studio to practice some more.” Yixing only nodded and pressed a small kiss to his son’s head, finally letting the younger to go to the studio as he intended to.

 

“What was that about? Did I just witness your talented, little munchkin blushing?” asked the petite carrier as he watched the younger walk toward his father’s studio. Nodding along to his fiancé, the giant attempted to steal another brownie from the batch on the table, only to earn himself another playful slap from Baekhyun. The petite carrier figured that his dumb giant had eaten enough brownies; it was Baekhyun’s turn to eat.

 

Disregarding Yixing’s, “will you both stop eating the children’s brownies?!” Baekhyun proceeded to walk around the kitchen table and sitting on the counter where Anson had been previously sitting. “To answer your question, he was blushing because he likes Ziyu. He just doesn’t know it yet,” said Yixing, finally washing his hands and pulling out the last batch of brownies from the oven. Chanyeol could be heard chuckling in the background, for he too had a hard time believing that Anson liked someone other than Baekhyun. Given, the boy had many friends, and Haowen seemed to be Anson’s best friend, but hearing about the child’s whereabouts was something new to the giant.

 

He always thought Anson liked Baekhyun, but he was apparently mistaken. Again.

 

“Speaking of Ziyu, did you know that Sehun and Luhan went on a playdate?”

 

Yixing couldn’t help but to smile at Baekhyun’s words, for he had seen this coming. He was merely waiting for some form of confirmation. Luhan was always at his house on the weekends, but he merely said he had something to do with Ziyu that day. That was not suspicious at all.

 

“Is that so? How do you know?” asked Yixing, leaning against the counter next to his carrier friend. This time, however, Chanyeol was the one who spoke, “it’s not hard to figure it out. Sehun dropped off Snowball with Jongin this morning, which rarely happens. Not only that, he said he had to meet up with someone today. The fact that he took Haowen with him was probably the biggest give away.”

 

Yixing couldn’t help but to laugh at this. Yes, he had heard from Yifan that Sehun didn’t like to mix up work with family, and thus he kept his child as secluded from anything work related as possible. This is how he had met the younger, for he had stumbled upon his friends in the past whilst they took care of the child. Besides, the only people Sehun socialized with were literally sitting in front of him (and Kyungsoo and Jongin). Seems like Chanyeol was finally right about something,

 

“Hopefully things go smooth for them. Ziyu can be a handful sometimes,” said Yixing as he smiled to himself at the thought of the little carrier. Baekhyun nodded along since he had witnessed the way in which the little babe had broken down into tears out of fear of walking in the middle of the bakery. But what else was new? Ziyu was only four. It was understandable if things didn’t go as planned.

 

Just as Chanyeol was about to make a comment, the sound of the front door opening caught everyone off guard. The sound of the piano suddenly came to stop, which was an easy indicator that Anson had clearly heard the front door. Yixing merely smiled to himself, immediately knowing what was about to happen. Within seconds, the figure of his six-year-old was already running toward the living room, happily smiling at the sight of his father who had just walked in with bags filled with groceries.

 

The sound of laughter and playfulness, as well as kisses and hugs (with a side of screaming and running) was heard throughout the house, bringing smiles to the faces of the three adults in the room. Baekhyun couldn’t help but to bite his lower lip as he stared at the sight of his fiancé admiring the scene in front of them (Yifan walking into the kitchen with his six-year-old over his shoulder as he approached his husband to press a kiss on his lips). Baekhyun concluded that maybe (just maybe) he would also like to experience the same thing.

 

Because Chanyeol and he were more than ready for it.

 

He was merely waiting for the right moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Haowen, do you like red velvet? I baked some red velvet cupcakes earlier today. Would you like one?” Asked the pretty carrier, pulling out the cupcakes out of the pretty basket and putting them on the table for the six-year-old to grab some. Haowen stared at his father as if asking for permission, to which Sehun merely shrugged as a response because “it’s your choice. Do you want to eat some?”

 

The six-year-old nodded, willingly accepting the cupcake the pretty male was offering him. With a small ‘thank you’ the little brunet proceeded to take a bite out of the cutely decorated pastry, unable to hold back a grunt of pleasure once he had a taste of it. Haowen had to admit it: it had been the best red velvet cupcake he had ever had. His uncle Kyungsoo’s specialties were cakes and pies. He rarely baked cookies or cupcakes (mainly because his uncle Jongin wasn’t fond of them much. He could, however, eat a whole cake on his own).

 

“Do you like it, Haowen?” Asked his daddy, noticing the way in which the six-year-old kept eating the pastry. Sehun found it entertaining. Generally, he didn’t buy lots of sweets for his son, but it seems like Luhan was used to baking for his toddler.

 

“Y-yes.”

 

“Ziyu’s baba cooks the best cuties!” said the four-year-old, earning himself a warm smile from the brunet and from Luhan. The honey blond male took a napkin in his hand and carefully cleaned his little son’s mess, not forgetting to also wipe the four-year-old’s hands and cheeks. Somehow, the whip cream had ended on the toddler’s shirt as well as the table. Luhan made a mental note to start teaching Ziyu about eating habits.

 

Haowen couldn’t deny it. Ziyu was right. His baba really made the best cupcakes ever.

 

Noticing that the child had finished his cupcake, Luhan took it upon himself to also wipe the tip of Haowen’s fingers, for he had been trying to not wipe the extra whip cream on his shorts (making the six-year-old flinch because he was independent and his daddy had taught him how to eat properly, unlike someone sitting across from him). This caught Sehun off guard, because even though Luhan had taken his son by surprise, Haowen had not tried to pull his hands away either.

 

Baekhyun would probably be mad once Sehun told him.

 

“Would you like one more? It’s okay to have two. More than two is another story,” said the honey blond male, offering the child another genuine smile, which was immediately reciprocated by the six-year-old. Sehun couldn’t help but to smile at their interaction. Apparently, the way into Haowen’s heart was through pastries. Kind of like himself now that Sehun thought about it. He had to admit that the interaction between the two was enough to make his heart flutter.

 

He would make sure to rely the new information to Baekhyun. Maybe that way Haowen would genuinely go to him out of desire and not out of necessity.

 

“Baba! Ziyu too! Can Ziyu have another cutie?” The little carrier tilted his head to the side, earning the attention of everyone around the table. Shaking his head at the little babe, Luhan proceeded to press a kiss to his baby’s forehead in a comforting manner. “No, my pretty baby. You’ve already had two. They’ll spoil your appetite.” Ziyu couldn’t help but to pout (rather cutely, Haowen had to admit. Cutely enough to make him feel bad for eating another cupcake in front of him. But the cupcake was too good to stop eating it, so he kept on chewing regardless of the situation) at his baba’s words. “But Ziyu wants more, baba,” said the pretty carrier, earning himself a chuckle from Luhan and a smile from the brunet.

 

The adults kept conversing amongst themselves whilst the kids stared at each other with unblinking eyes. Ziyu took it upon himself to keep coloring, breaking the eye contact between Haowen and he. A few minutes went by with both adults talking about their day and about their plans for the rest of the afternoon, which seemed to catch Haowen’s attention. At the mention of Luhan promising Ziyu to take him out to eat, Sehun had decided that he and Haowen would stick along. After all, they had not spent much time together for the past few days. Eating out for once didn’t sound so bad.

 

At least to the adults, because Haowen was internally freaking out.

 

A whole afternoon of Ziyu and his clinginess. A whole afternoon of Ziyu giggling and laughing and being shown affection by everyone (and by everyone Haowen was referring to Luhan and possibly his daddy too). It’d be like seeing Anson and he together every day during recess. That didn’t sound so appealing to the six-year-old—not really in a bad way, but his lack of patience toward Ziyu would probably get the best of him.

 

“Ziyu, why don’t you go to the swings to play with Haowen?” At the mention of the swings, the little blond shook his head almost immediately, completely catching Luhan and Sehun off guard. Haowen couldn’t help but to let out a sigh of annoyance because here we go again. This time, however, the male let out a soft chuckle, earning himself the attention of his four-year-old. “Baby, hurting yourself is part of the learning experience. You don’t have to be scared anymore. Run, jump, walk if you want. Just be more careful. You’re going to be fine.”

 

Sehun was finally catching up to what was going on.

 

He had finally realized that Ziyu’s accident had traumatized him. He did remember a few weeks back (the first time Luhan and he had met) that the toddler was scared to walk. He seemed to be fine from Sehun’s perspective. Then again, he did not know everything that went down with the toddler. He only knew Haowen’s side of the story (which reminded him that he had to apologize to Luhan on behalf of his six-year-old). For all he knew, Ziyu was possibly still struggling with the shock of hurting himself for the very first time. Sehun could easily tell that Luhan was beyond overprotective of his little son.

 

Once again, the toddler merely shook his head and went back to his coloring book.

 

Letting out a sigh, Haowen merely stood up from his spot (surprising his daddy a bit since the child had gone around the table without saying anything) and walked to the other side where Ziyu was coloring. Without warning, the six-year-old pulled the child along with him, causing the toddler to leave his coloring book and crayons on the table whilst Haowen dragged the other toward the playground a few feet away from their parents.

 

The six-year-old was not doing it because of kindness.

 

He was merely taking advantage of the fact that Anson wasn’t there, thus there was no one to stop him from helping Ziyu to leave his fear behind (albeit the other’s idea of helping was far from being the best really). Besides, if Ziyu fell, Haowen could use this as a chance to encourage the toddler to stand up on his own, just like his uncles had done with him. It was the perfect opportunity.

 

“No! Ziyu don’t wanna! No!”

 

The only thing Haowen had not considered was the fact that ZIyu would definitely oppose to cooperate. Because Ziyu was a stubborn little munchkin and Haowen happened to be a little temperamental when he was irritated.

 

Yeah…something would most likely go wrong.

 

Still holding onto the feisty four-year-old, who was currently trying his best to pull away from the taller boy’s hold, the little brunet had taken it upon himself to drag the child against his will to the other side of the playground. Not because he didn’t want their parents to see them—far from that! He was actually trying to help Ziyu in a way—but rather because he was more than decided to make the little babe walk on his own without holding onto anyone. He was decided to force Ziyu to grow up and suck it up, because hurting one’s self isn’t the end of the world.

 

Haowen was simply not considering the fact that his Ziyu was different. Things didn’t work like that with the little carrier.

 

“Let Ziyu go! Ziyu don’t wanna play!” Finally letting the other go, Haowen stared at the four-year-old with a blank expression. He then stepped back a bit as if to give the younger his own space. It was then that Ziyu realized that he was standing completely alone. Haowen was not holding him and guiding him anymore (albeit forcefully), and that itself was enough to scare the younger.

 

Ziyu, however, had enough pride to not show the older boy how scared he was. Unfortunately for the younger, Haowen could easily read his expressions. Haowen wanted to laugh at the other’s poor attempts but remained still to not make himself look meaner.

 

The other kids around them seemed to be having fun. They were running along the playground and enjoying themselves. Some of the bigger kids were playing soccer really close to the swings and the slides. Haowen nearly rolled their eyes at the stupid logic. The toddlers were literally next to them! If they kicked the soccer ball inappropriately—which was bound to happen since they were merely running after the ball and aimlessly kicking it—it could hit one of the younger kids. And to think the older kids were the ones to have a more common sense than a six-year-old.

 

Ziyu remained rooted on his stop. He took a look at his surroundings and couldn’t help but to feel left out. He seemed to be out of place, standing awkwardly on the side while everyone else had fun. He noticed the way in which other kids were fearlessly running around and playing tag amongst themselves. Some of the other kids were swinging like there was no tomorrow and smiling to show their happiness. There were younger kids, even younger than himself, learning how to walk and desperately trying to get away from their parents as they experienced how to use their legs for the very first time.

 

Ziyu came to realize that everyone was having fun but himself.

 

He realized that he was the only one standing still, not particularly enjoying himself out of fear from the previous incident. And as much as Ziyu wanted to be like the others, he couldn’t bring himself to even take a step. It frustrated the toddler like there was no tomorrow, nearly causing him to break into a sobbing mess, for he too wished to have as much fun as everyone else.

 

But he couldn’t do it.

 

“All you have to do is come to me, you know. Just come to me on your own and we’ll go play with everyone else,” said the little brunet, purposely taking another few steps back to force the younger to make the first move on his own. The little babe felt the tears pushing through his eyes as he tried to keep them in as much as he could. Haowen, already noticing the other’s glassy eyes, couldn’t help but to let out a sigh of irritation. He was over the sympathetic stage. He was merely getting annoyed at the other’s lack of response.

 

“Come on, Ziyu. It isn’t that hard.”

 

_Easy for swing boy to say; swing boy don’t fall like Ziyu did_.

 

The toddler’s lack of response once again had the six-year-old tapping his foot against the ground in annoyance. He was not going to put up with the little babe’s stubbornness for too long.

 

“If you don’t hurry and come to me, I’ll walk away and leave you here alone.” And at that, Ziyu allowed his tears to roll down his eyes. He held in the need to sob, but didn’t stop his tears from falling. Unfazed by the younger’s expected breakdown, the older boy didn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes as he turned around and let himself breathe to calm down. He wasn’t really going to leave the four-year-old alone. He wasn’t that mean. He was only trying to motivate (albeit in a very inadequate manner) Ziyu to start doing things on his own.

 

And as he internally counted to five, his plan backfired. Badly.

 

By him turning around, he did not see the older kids kicking the ball inappropriately, miserably failing to not only score, but also managing to kick the ball towards the swings by where the four-year-old was silently crying. Ziyu’s lack of attention had not helped the situation either, for he missed the sight of the ball coming towards him. By the time Haowen reached three, he heard the ugly sobs of the four-year-old from where he was standing, immediately triggering his instinct to turn around and check on the child.

 

The sight was disturbingly familiar and this time, Haowen was beyond guilty.

 

This time, he had been the one completely at fault.

 

Without thinking about it, he rushed to the younger’s side immediately and tried to find a way to comfort him. The sight of the ball just sitting there by the four-year-old infuriated him, causing the little brunet to merely take the ball and kick it toward the older kids that had not even bothered to come check on the child they had hurt. Under other circumstances, Haowen would have probably followed Anson’s example and he would have approached the kids and told them about how dangerous it was to play so close to the toddlers. This time, however, he didn’t have the time to stop for a second and think about the situation.

 

And as the sobs of the four-year-old increased, Haowen couldn’t help but to internally scold himself for being insensitive about Ziyu’s situation.

 

Because his desire to help the younger had actually gotten him hurt.

 

Afraid to even touch the younger (unknowingly making himself believe that if he touched or came near Ziyu, the babe would probably get hurt again), the little brunet merely told the child to stay there and to wait for him whilst he ran back to their parents to tell them about the situation. Not that Ziyu was paying any attention at this point, for his sobs were all he could hear and his tears clouded his vision. Haowen could only hope the child would stay instead of accepting anyone’s hand and letting them lead the way.

 

And as the six-year-old rushed toward their parents, he couldn’t help but to genuinely feel miserable and guilty. The weird feeling he experienced a few weeks back was suddenly here again, making him feel the need to tell his daddy that maybe he just wasn’t good with kids. Maybe that was a sign that Ziyu and he would never get along. It had only been a few weeks since Ziyu’s accident, and now the four-year-old was currently on the ground, crying his eyes out all because of Haowen again.

 

Anson was probably going to kill him.

 

“Daddy!”

 

At the sound of his child’s voice, the brunet proceeded to put his phone down to give his full attention to his son and the little babe he had dragged along with him. The only problem was that Haowen was alone. There were no signs of Ziyu anywhere. Luhan had just stepped away to take a phone call from his parents, thus leaving Sehun alone for a few minutes and giving him the time to _finally_ reply the countless messages he had received from his forever external hemorrhoid—Kim Jongin.

 

They were mostly pictures of Snowball either playing with Kyungsoo or videos of Jongin snuggling with the little ball of fluff. Sehun had the desire to roll his eyes, but controlled himself because he was an adult and he was in a public place.

 

“What is it? Where’s Ziyu?”

 

“Daddy, it’s all my fault! Ziyu got hurt again!”

 

That was all the motivation Sehun needed to stand up and follow his son to the playground. He found the four-year-old on the ground, continuously rubbing his eyes and sobbing his eyes out as he looked around for Haowen. As Haowen predicted, the little babe had not paid any attention when the older boy told him he’d go get their parents. The sight of the four-year-old completely confused with his pink cheeks stained with tears made Haowen’s stomach drop unexpectedly.

 

Maybe Ziyu was not his nemesis after all. Maybe he was Ziyu’s nemesis, for he was the reason why the other was always crying.

 

Haowen made a mental note to keep his distance from the younger from now on.

 

And after finally realizing that Haowen and Haowen’s daddy were approaching him, the four-year-old found the strength in him to somehow stand up and wait for the elder to come to him. And once the adult was standing before him, the four-year-old lifted his arms up towards the elder, giving Sehun the cue to scoop him up. Sehun kindly obliged; he carefully lifted-up the toddler and allowed the crying babe to hide his face in the crook of his neck. The elder rubbed soothing circles in the child’s back, somehow hoping the toddler would calm down.

 

Once he was sure that Ziyu was completely secure in his arms, the elder proceeded to walk back to the bench. One of his hands had found its way to Haowen, kindly holding his son’s hand as well as he guided them back to Luhan. The honey blond male was awkwardly standing by the bench. He had come back to Sehun but found the bench empty instead. He considered going to the playground, but that implied leaving their belongings unattended, thus he decided to wait for the other instead.

 

The sight was not something he imagined.

 

His little carrier was being carried by the brunet while Sehun’s other hand was securely holding onto his son’s much smaller one. Under other circumstances, Luhan would have found the scene rather sweet. Due to the current circumstances, however, Luhan couldn’t help but to worry about the kids. His little baby was sobbing in the crook of the elder’s neck, and Haowen seemed to be melancholic for some odd reason. Even before Sehun and the kids reached the tables, Luhan was already walking towards them and mentally going through the possible scenarios that could have led to the sudden situation.

 

“Baba! Ziyu hurt!” The four-year-old extended his arms out towards his baba, signaling the pretty carrier his baby wanted to be held. And that’s exactly what Luhan did. He carefully wrapped his arms around the little babe whilst the much smaller boy hid his face in the neck of the elder. Ziyu was not one to come back crying after playing on the swings or the slide. Something must have happened for the younger to suddenly have broken into tears. Placing a kiss on the younger’s forehead, the pretty carrier held his son and showered him with kisses and warmth until the little babe’s tears had ceased.

 

Sehun had kindly directed the elder back to the table whilst still holding his six-year-old’s hand. Haowen followed the elders obediently, never once attempting to say anything. He knew he had to apologize to Ziyu again, but he also had to apologize to Ziyu’s baba for causing him such a shock. And albeit neither one of the adults seem to be angry, the sad sniffles coming from the four-year-old were enough to tug at the hidden strings of his tiny heart.

 

_“It’s called guilt, Haowen. You need to be a little gentleman and face the problem.”_

 

His daddy’s words were still in his head, taunting the six-year-old until he couldn’t stand it any longer.

 

Without saying anything, the six-year-old walked around the table once again, this time sitting down next to Luhan and directly into Ziyu’s field of vision. The other’s puffy eyes caused the six-year-old to gulp nervously, because what if Ziyu didn’t forgive him? What if Ziyu decided he didn’t want to talk to him ever again? What if Ziyu threatened to tell Anson about the accident? Anson had specifically told him to go easy on the younger, but Haowen had completely disregarded his friend’s pleas.

 

“Haowen, is there something you’d like to say?” Asked Sehun, well-aware of the fact that his son had all the intentions of apologizing but seemed to be trying to find the right words. The six-year-old shared a few seconds of eye contact with his daddy, silently asking him if it was okay to apologize. The elder offered him a nod, which seemed to be Haowen’s cue to speak up.

 

“I-uh…well…you see…”

 

Luhan couldn’t help but to smile at the sight of the six-year-old trying to speak. Even though he had no idea what was going on, Haowen seemed to be trying to take the initiative to explain the situation without depending on his daddy. Such a courageous little man! Ziyu though, seemed to be emotionless. His puffy eyes and his sniffles were still there, which made Haowen even more nervous. He felt as if Ziyu was merely waiting for him to apologize just to completely reject his apology on the spot.

 

“I’m sorry, Ziyu. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. I wanted to help you get over your fear of walking alone, but I think I didn’t help you at all. So I’m sorry. I hope you forgive me,” said the little brunet, eyes focused on the ground as he expected Ziyu to merely laugh at him. Such thing didn’t occur however. Instead, he noticed the figure of the four-year-old that had just been placed on the bench (probably by Luhan since he was the one carrying him previously), slowly reaching for him until Ziyu’s little hands were on the six-year-old’s cheeks.

 

Haowen’s eyes were wide. He couldn’t bring himself to move. Was Ziyu going to hit him? Well…he kind of deserved it for being mean, but was Ziyu really that mean? What would his daddy or Ziyu’s baba think of the younger if he hit him? To his surprise, the younger broke into silly and childish giggles that caused the six-year-old to freak out. He was honestly scared. Ziyu was a very interesting creature. Instead of being mad, the younger had found his way onto the six-year-old’s lap, wrapping his noodle arms around the taller boy as he kept giggling nonstop.

 

To Haowen, it was a scary sight.

 

To Luhan and Sehun, it was an adorable sight.

 

Ziyu didn’t seem to be upset anymore and he was trying to reach out for the older boy instead. It brought some sort of peace to the other two adults, for they came to realize that maybe whatever they had going on would eventually work out.

 

“Baby, don’t you have something to say? Haowen was trying to be nice and apologized to you. Be a good boy and say something in return.”

 

The younger had made himself comfortable on Haowen’s little lap, his tiny legs dangling from both sides of the six-year-old’s waist. Nodding at his baba’s statement, the child proceeded to, once again, poke the six-year-old’s cheeks, earning himself a small glare from the older child, which merely lasted a few seconds before Haowen freaked out again over the younger’s unexpected behaviour.

 

Ziyu was being clingy and too nice. Haowen was more than sure that the younger was planning something.

 

“Ziyu not angry anymore. Thank you,” said the four-year-old at a surprised six-year-old. Haowen could only nod at the younger, eyes still wide and confusion written all over his face. Under other circumstances, Sehun would have laughed at him and teased him about it. This seemed to be, however, a very serious moment. Neither adult wanted to interrupt the children’s interaction, for they didn’t find it fair. They were bonding to a certain extent, whether it was outside school or outside Ziyu’s class, it was still bonding nonetheless.

 

“But Ziyu don’t wanna play no more.”

 

Haowen couldn’t help but to discretely roll his eyes at the child, for he wasn’t particularly trying to play with the younger. He merely wanted to help the other become independent again (albeit Ziyu was anything by independent). But if Ziyu didn’t want to be able to walk on his own again, so be it. Haowen was planning to keep his distance from the child anyway. Ziyu didn’t need to have any more accidents.

 

Sehun couldn’t help but to bite his lower lip to avoid laughing at his son’s reaction. In all honesty, it seemed to him like Ziyu would need a lot of help to get over his most recent fear. And from the looks of it, his six-year-old was not going to put up a fight again.

 

Might as well end the awkwardness now than to wait for another argument to arise.

 

“Is anyone hungry? Because I’m starving.”

 

Luhan couldn’t help himself anymore and burst out laughing, completely disregarding the looks of confusion coming from the two kids. At least he understood Sehun’s intentions. Sehun merely returned the smile and proceeded to help the pretty carrier to pick up their belongings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Daddy?” The six-year-old was currently sitting next to his father as he simultaneously munched on some cheese bread while they waited for Ziyu and Luhan. Apparently, Ziyu was still learning how to train his little bladder, but accidents happen all the time when it comes to little carriers like him. Unfortunately for the little babe, he couldn’t hold in his pee for too long. Albeit Luhan was more than prepared for these type of accidents, Ziyu still cried every time this occurred. Luhan came to understand the younger a bit, because he realized that it was due to embarrassment and guilt.

 

Quite frankly, Haowen didn’t understand anything. Ziyu was already four years of age. He should be able to hold in his pee at this age.

 

Giving his son his attention, the brunet proceeded to also take a bite out of one of the bread sticks whilst he listened to his son. “Why did Ziyu pee on himself? You told me that I knew how to go the toilet on my own when I was four.” The little brother stabbed a piece of his bread with a fork before continuing, “how come Ziyu doesn’t know how to go to the toilet on his own?”

 

Sehun should have known. Haowen was still comparing himself to the four-year-old. The brunet wasn’t surprised, however, for he came to realize that Haowen was slowly trying to understand the little babe. Not particularly a bad thing. It was indeed a good sign. Perhaps not in the right way, but he was trying at the very least.

 

“That’s because he’s different, baby. Ziyu is a bit more fragile in a metaphorical sense. He’s still a toddler, Haowen. And while you’re considered a kid, Ziyu is still viewed as a baby by others.” That was the best explanation Sehun could come up with—which he had to admit was pretty sucky and lacked details. No wonder Haowen seemed to be even more confused now. “But I still don’t understand it, daddy,” said the little brunet as he finally stopped playing with his bread. He had put the fork down and now seemed to be completely immersed in his conversation with his father. “I just don’t understand it. He is clingy and tiny and sometimes he reminds me of a girl. He’s like the kids in my class that prefer to be friends with girls instead of other boys.”

 

Sehun knew where this was going. How was he even supposed to answer the question without confusing his child even more?

 

“You said to me a few weeks ago that I have to be a little gentleman and face the problem. But what if I don’t know what the problem is? Ziyu and I are different, daddy, but I can’t see what makes us different.” The six-year-old frowned unconsciously, suddenly reminding Sehun of their little poodle when they were dropping him off at Jongin’s. Not exactly a good comparison, but hey! Snowball and Haowen spent the whole day together. It’d be weird if they didn’t start resembling each other.

 

Sehun, however, didn’t have an answer for his six-year-old. Yes, they didn’t share a sugar-coated relationship, but that also didn’t mean that Haowen understood whatever happened around him. Truth to be told, Sehun was surprised that his son even realized that Ziyu seemed to be different. Most kids didn’t pay attention to those things. He expected the six-year-old to notice something was off during his third year of elementary when carriers and non-carriers are divided, for they both had a mind processing that differed from one another.

 

For instance, Sehun remembered his class had been split into carriers and non-carriers when he reached third grade. From that point and on, he didn’t get to see Kyungsoo until classes were over and they got picked up from school. It all changed, however, somewhere in the middle of Junior year in high school. It was then that his classes got mixed up and he started to surround himself with more carriers due to the circumstances. In all honesty, whatever knowledge Sehun acquired came from his science classes in middle school and high school. Middle school scratched the surface about male carriers and their amazing potential to bear another life. High school, however, went deeper into the topic, finally revealing the true details about carriers and their developed reproductive systems.

 

In all honesty, Sehun expected Haowen to also notice these differences when the time came. Apparently, the time had come a little bit too early, for he was now stuck trying to explain these things to his younger son. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), the brunet didn’t get to answer his son’s question. The pretty carrier and his mini-copy of himself had returned. There were still dry tears on the toddler’s cheeks, and Sehun couldn’t help but to smile at the little babe.

 

It wasn’t difficult for Sehun to realize Luhan had decided to put a diaper on his little son, mainly given away due to the unexpected fluffiness that was visible through the toddler’s loose leggings. It was already getting cold and Luhan had taken his time to change his toddler’s entire outfit for something warmer. His pastel pink shorts had been replaced with a pair of loose, black leggings. His short sleeve had been replaced with a white, long sleeve that had the words ‘little cutie’ written at the front. The little babe was now wearing a knitted, white beanie with a puffy ball at the tip. The only thing that remained the same were the pair of white tennis shoes he was wearing earlier. To Sehun, the little babe was the mere definition of adorable.

 

Haowen seemed to be on the same boat as his dad, but for an entire different reason: Ziyu seemed tinier now that he was dressed in warm clothing. Haowen was beyond confused. How could someone look so different anyways?

 

Offering ZIyu’s pretty baba a genuine smile, the six-year-old proceeded to eat his food neatly whilst the adults immerged themselves in a boring conversation. He’d only make inputs here and there when either Luhan or his daddy asked him a direct question. Ziyu was messily eating his chicken sandwich whilst Haowen enjoyed his cheese burger and his fries. He had caught the four-year-old staring at his fries from time to time, and at some point Haowen had pushed his plate towards the toddler so he could grab some fries.

 

Because why not? _Daddy says sharing is caring_.

 

At this, the adults couldn’t help but to smile at one another as they watched the little babe reach for a few fries and stuffing them in his mouth. Likewise, Ziyu had kindly pushed his strawberry lemonade forward in attempts to offer some to the six-year-old. At this, the little brunet couldn’t help but to blush and immediately shook his head. He was currently drinking regular lemonade since he didn’t particularly like strawberries. Unfortunately for both kids, the restaurant where they were at didn’t carry apple juice, which forced them both to choose something else.

 

“Would you like some dessert, Haowen?” asked Luhan, kindly offering a smile at the six-year-old. Before the six-year-old had time to answer, Ziyu had raised his hand and immediately said he wanted a rosy flavored shaved ice. At this, Sehun couldn’t help but to laugh out loud, catching the attention of his son and the pretty carrier across from them.

 

“I was also thinking of getting a rosy flavored shaved ice,” confessed the brunet, immediately making the child giggle. To Luhan, those were some interesting news, for had just learned something interesting about Sehun. The younger male seemed to have a sweet tooth. Haowen showed no emotion whatsoever; he lived with the elder and thus knew about daddy’s preferences. Finally realizing that Luhan was staring at him in amusement, Sehun merely sent the other a playful wink, immediately managing to make the pretty carrier blush. He then turned his line of vision towards the toddler, kindly offering a smile before he continued, “would you like to share some rosy flavored shaved ice with me, Ziyu?”

 

Ziyu neither nodded, nor did he shake his head. He turned around to face his baba, nonverbally asking the elder what to do. Luhan, however, offered him a smile and stroked his baby’s silky strands instead. Realizing that his baba was leaving him in the dark, the four-year-old thought about it for a second. His baba always said that sharing is caring. Besides, he and Anson shared everything. He could share with swing boy’s daddy, too! His baba would be so proud of him!

 

Nodding at the elder, the little babe proceeded to stretch his arms out towards the elder whilst Haowen took sips from his lemonade. As if already used to what was about to happen, Haowen merely watched on the side as his daddy stood up and walked around the table. Once on the other side, Sehun proceeded to scoop up the little toddler whilst the little babe wrapped his arms around the elder’s neck and locked his legs around the other’s waist. Once the babe was well supporting in the arms of the adult, Sehun proceeded to go back to his seat, carefully ruffling Haowen’s hair and earning himself a little whine from the six-year-old.

 

“Daddy!”

 

It honestly wasn’t bad to see his daddy carrying the toddler. In fact, he didn’t feel neither angry nor annoyed. For once, Ziyu wasn’t particularly irritating him. If anything, the toddler wasn’t being clingy—if he were to completely disregard the current circumstance by which Ziyu ended up on his daddy’s lap—nor stubborn. Other than the little incident they had at the park, Ziyu wasn’t as bad to be around.

 

And that was a good thing, because he was yet to find out that their parents were trying to make them become closer for a reason.

 

“Haowen, how about we share some apple pie? Would you like some?” asked the pretty male in front of him, flashing the six-year-old a genuine smile that the child couldn’t help but to return right away. Besides, how could he say no to apples? Apples were his most favorite fruit! Therefore, before Luhan could ask the younger if he wanted something else instead, Haowen had already walked around the table and taken the seat where Ziyu had previously been sitting. He plopped down next to the pretty carrier and smiled at the elder, patient waiting until the nice waitress came back to take their orders once again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ride back home was surprisingly quiet. Unlike Ziyu, whom Sehun had to carry to Luhan’s car since the toddler had fallen asleep in Sehun’s arms, Haowen was still wide awake and staring at out the window from the backseat of the car. At this, the brunet couldn’t help but to smile to himself. After all, Haowen was not particularly fond of car rides. The six-year-old had the tendency of falling asleep rather easily when he was in his daddy’s car.

 

Disrupting the peaceful silence amongst them, Sehun cleared his throat to catch his little son’s full attention.

 

“Did you have fun today, buddy?” The child turned his head towards his father, looking away from whatever had caught his attention outside to stare at the elder through the mirror. He nodded at the elder and immediately proceeded to look away once again. At this, Sehun couldn’t help but to frown. Haowen seemed to be acting weird.

 

“Kyungsoo sent me a message earlier. He says Jongin will drop off Snowball tomorrow. Are you okay with that?” The child pouted at his daddy’s statement, completely taken back by the fact that his little puppy would not sleep with him tonight. He had been away from Snowball for too long already. Sehun wasn’t feeling any better. The idea of not having the pup around running and barking at everything that moved made the elder feel somewhat melancholic.

 

Pulling into their driveway and turning off the engine, the elder proceeded to open the back door of the car and helping his little son to hop off. Haowen murmured a barely audible “thank you,” earning himself a (very awkward due to the younger’s lack of height) side hug from his daddy. Once inside the house, the younger took off his shoes and placed them inside the wall closet by the front door, immediately rushing towards his room to look for a clean pair of pyjamas.

 

Whilst his little son got ready for his bath, the brunet proceeded to send Luhan a quick text prior to helping his son.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're home. Hope you two got home safely. Thank you for the playdate. I think Haowen enjoyed it. Sweet dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Daddy! I’m ready!”

 

At the sound of his son calling for him, Sehun placed his phone on his bed and made his way towards the bathroom. When he walked in, his child was already brushing his teeth and wore nothing but his pair of stitch boxers. The elder proceeded to turn on the bathroom heater and let the water run. Once the water was warm enough, Haowen stepped into the tub and sat down with his daddy’s assistance. Sehun then took a moment to admire his son.

 

Haowen was an exact replica of him.

 

His hair, his nose, his lips, everything excluding his eyes, were traits he had inherited from Sehun. The elder took his time to admire how much his son had grown. The younger was playing with a squeaky rubber Stitch his daddy had purchased for him a few months back. In reality, Sehun hated the toy with passion, but such toy seemed to be Haowen’s favorite when it was time to get a bath. He was secretly regretting ever purchasing it, for he knew that such toy would be the death of him. He had witnessed Haowen and Snowball playing together with the annoying rubber toy, which led Sehun to hide it from both them—at least during the day only.

 

Within the past few weeks, Sehun had come to realize a few things. First, he was surprised by the amount of texts he exchanged with the pretty carrier throughout the day, and he was even more surprised at the number of times he found himself thinking about the other. Second, he was suspicious about how his new pair of black socks had mysteriously disappeared. He had a theory that Haowen was “secretly” helping Snowball to reach the socks in places where the tiny pup wouldn’t be able to reach—the very back of the drawer, that is. And third (and the most recent discovery, which ironically happened this afternoon), he was absolutely and inexplicably content with the idea of creating a family with Luhan.

 

Given, it had only been a few weeks, but Sehun had to admit that Ziyu was the most adorable human being he had ever laid his eyes on (not in a corrupted way, but rather in a paternal way if he had to admit. Funny since Ziyu wasn’t even his biological offspring). Yes, Ziyu and Haowen had an awkward first interaction at school, but that didn’t mean things couldn’t change. In fact, seeing the younger hugging Haowen, and likewise, his son sharing his food with the toddler was enough to make his heart flutter in ways that even Sehun had not expected.

 

It was definitely a heartwarming sight.

 

“Daddy!”

 

The elder turned to his son and stared at him with loving eyes, smiling to himself as he witnessed the way in which the six-year-old was messily attempting to wash his own hair. Shaking his head and chuckling at the younger, the brunet proceeded to place a kiss on his son’s forehead and immediately replaced the younger’s hands with his own. Closing his eyes as his daddy had taught him, the six-year-old leaned into the touch of the elder and patiently allowed the brunet to finish bathing him.

 

No words were exchanged in between the two of them.

 

Once the water started to turn cold, Sehun brought the younger out of the tub and dressed him in the warm Stitch pyjamas—at this point, Sehun was not surprised anymore—Haowen had pulled out of the drawer. And just like every night, he lay down in bed with his son and stroked the child’s locks as he waited for the six-year-old to choose a topic for tonight.

 

“Daddy, I don’t think I understand Ziyu.”

 

Sehun was not ready to have this conversation with his son again. There was only so much he could say to explain things to the six-year-old.

 

“Why are we so different, daddy? He can’t hold his pee. He doesn’t talk the way Anson and I talk. I don’t get it, daddy. And he still gets treated like a baby by everyone, even you.” Sehun was mentally getting ready to embrace the pits of hell. He could already see where this conversation was going. “And you said that he’s different. How so, daddy?”

 

Yeah….the cons of having a non-sugar coated relationship.

 

Sehun had to think about his answer properly if he wanted his son to understand. If he said something wrong, chances were that Haowen would end up even more confused and that would potentially lead to more questions Sehun would not be able to answer. How was he supposed to explain to his six-year-old (who had no knowledge of the mere definition of science, needless to say anatomy and physiology) that carriers were technically advanced males that had the potential of bearing another life. How could he even explain to his son that they were highly associated with female traits albeit possessing internal anatomical structures of both females and males.

 

There was no way Haowen could understand that.

 

And if so, how was he supposed to explain the female characteristics were more evident amongst all carriers? How was Haowen supposed to understand the hormonal balance that allowed for said characteristics to be more prominent in these carriers?

 

There was no way Sehun was ready for this conversation.

 

“Baby, it’s complicated. You’ll understand when you get older. All you need to know is that Ziyu is different from you, Anson, your uncle Jongin, or even myself. Ziyu is the same as Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. They’re small, cute, and nearly impossible to not like.” Sehun was mentally patting himself for the answer he gave his son. It was honestly the best answer he could come up with. He was hoping his son understood what he was trying to imply.

 

“But daddy, they’re adults. Ziyu is only younger than me by 2 years.”

 

Well damn.

 

Haowen had pulled the age card on his daddy.

 

“True, but I’m not talking about age. I’m talking about specific characteristics, baby. You think like someone your age. You think about school and the next video game you want me to buy for you—which by the way needs to stop. Ziyu probably thinks about wanting to be with his baba the whole time. He thinks about playing and coloring and looking at picture books rather than sports and school assignments,” said the brunet stroking his son’s locks.

 

The six-year-old looked beyond confused. That was the typical behaviour of younger kids, but Ziyu was like a baby. Literally.

 

Noticing the look of confusion his son was giving him, the brunet proceeded to place a kiss against the younger’s forehead as the child hid his face under his blanket.

 

“It’s not something you have to worry about now, Haowen. Like I said before, all you need to do is behave like a little gentleman. You need to be nice and kind to him. One day, you’ll understand why. Just try to be nicer from now on. You’ll see Ziyu more often from now on.”

 

Haowen didn’t ask any further questions after that.

 

He merely nodded and relaxed under his daddy’s gentle touch. The elder placed one last kiss on the crown of his son’s head and made sure he was well tucked in. Turning off the light and walking out of his child’s room, the brunet went down the stairs and walked towards the kitchen. He pulled out a water bottle—he was supposed to get rid of the few water bottles he had left before Kyungsoo found out, for he always claimed it was unhealthy due to the plastic’s expiration date—out of the fridge and walked into the living room.

 

The elder leaned against the glass door leading towards the backyard, quietly admiring the peacefulness of his surroundings along with the light of the full moon illuminating the sky.

 

There were so many things going through his head at that moment. For instance, how would his relationship with Luhan develop now that the kids had spent a whole day together? Given that it wasn’t as they had planned (without taking into consideration Ziyu’s accident) it, but it was not a bad day either. He was sure that if they brought the kids along more often, they’d eventually get used to each other’s presence—at least from Haowen’s part.

 

Uncapping the bottle and taking a sip from it, the elder proceeded to check his phone (after retrieving it from his room) now that he had put his son to sleep. Unsurprisingly, there was a new message from the pretty carrier. Smiling to himself, the brunet opened the message and read it, not without biting his bottom lip to try stop the smile that was ironically forming on his plump lips. He then typed a quick message, recapped the bottle, and walked up the stairs towards his room again. He checked on his little boy one last time before he walked into his room for the night.

 

The elder removed his shirt and quickly replaced his pair of jeans with a pair of gray sweatpants, not even bothering to fix the dirty clothes on the floor. He figured he’d do it tomorrow instead. Besides, neatness was never one of his strengths—it was one of Kyungsooo’s. He turned off the lights and proceeded to wrap himself in his bed sheets, shifting around quite a few times until he found a comfortable position. He could not help but to think about the carrier, secretly smiling to himself at the thoughts of the other’s pretty smile. Not to mention Luhan’s mini copy, for he had proven to be quite a little darling.

 

The elder left out a low chuckle, pressing his face deeper against one of his pillows.

 

“What are you doing to me, Luhan.”

 

Letting out a tired sigh, the brunet finally closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to do its job, finally losing consciousness of his surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_“I’m sure Ziyu also enjoyed it. Perhaps a little bit too much. No, thank you for coming up with this wonderful idea. I hope we get to go out with the kids more often. Sweet dreams.”_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We will. I promise we will.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Memory II Note] I still have no idea how to edit my notes. I might just stick to this.....


	4. My Brother is Cute, His Scent is Too Sweet, So I Kissed Him Last Night and He Didn't Say a Thing

** Note: **This is technically a drabble and not really part of the story. Please read the footnote

 **Important:** 10-year-old Ziyu // 12-year-old Haowen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Daddy, where are we going?” asked a ten-year-old Ziyu, allowing the brunet to sit him down in the backseat of the car and making sure the child was well buckled in. Pressing a kiss to the crown of the carrier’s head, Sehun quickly moved to the driver’s seat and proceeded to pull away from the curve, busting an unexpected U-turn that caused the carrier to giggle. “We’re going to pick up your brother from uncle Nini’s dance studio. We are going somewhere today and Haowen needs to be home early.” Nodding at the elder in what he thought was understanding, the babe proceeded to sing along to whatever song was playing on the radio.

 

Luckily for him, red velvet was his ultimately favorite girl group and _Bad Boy_ was a song he knew at the top of his head (he even knew the choreography thanks to Haowen).

 

The brunet smiled to himself as he heard the younger singing at the top of his lungs to his favorite girl group. And how could he not? He had seen both Ziyu and Haowen dancing along to this song a few times. As it turned out, Haowen decided that dancing was a better hobby and soccer was not his thing. And even though he had turned it into an occasional hobby with the rest of his friends, Sehun found out that his eldest son had fallen in love with dancing. And now? Now he spent a lot of his free time at the studio with Jongin. And both Sehun and Jongin loved it. Sehun’s hobby is also dancing, much like Jongin albeit his best friend had turned it into a career. He was already teaching his son, Taeoh, the art of dancing (as he called it) despite the babe’s young age. Even so, Sehun wasn’t so sure the child would be into dancing as much. Not because he wasn’t good at it, but rather because they noticed that the babe was more into music.

 

Baekhyun would know. He was the first to point out that said little boy seemed to be utterly mesmerized by the keys of his piano at home. And who was Sehun to give an input? He hadn’t visited his best friends in quite a few months. He had merely heard from Kyungsoo that Jongin was in _fatherhood denial_ after finding out his own child was leaning towards the piano rather than dancing.

 

Sehun found this rollercoaster of events extremely funny. He was more than happy with his family and extended family. Having three nephews was not a joke. Anson wasn’t much of a problem nowadays. He and Haowen were at the age where they’d go into their rooms and play videogames all day (which was beyond unhealthy but at least the boys knew how to control themselves), but Ziyu was still mentally behind. Even at ten, the boy was still needy of unconditional affection that neither Sehun nor Luhan minded providing him. If there was something he was proud of, then it’d be the fact that Ziyu favoured him over Luhan nowadays. Yes, Ziyu was still Luhan’s baby—he was the only carrier and was favoured by pretty much everyone at home—but the older carrier was busy nowadays.

 

Since his baba was running up and down lately, Ziyu found comfort in his daddy instead, sticking to the brunet as hard as algae glue and refusing to leave the other’s side. On a second note however, whenever Sehun was busy with a deadline coming up, Haowen would take over and provide the carrier the attention he craved. Raising a carrier was indeed a new experience. Everything seemed to be the same with Haowen: school, homework, dancing lessons, videogames, and bed time. Not precisely in that order, but it was quite a routine.

 

And then there was Ziyu: princesses, fashion, music, food and desserts, and more princesses with a side of Haowen still pretending to be a prince for his little brother. Ziyu was certainly a funny guacamole, but neither Sehun nor Luhan would have it any other way.

 

“Daddy, will Owennnie be angry at Ziyu for coming with you?” The question had caught the brunet by surprise. Haowen and Ziyu were close and fighting wasn’t exactly a normal occurrence between them. Why would Ziyu even think such a thing?

 

“No, babe. Why would he get angry?” The babe shrugged his little shoulders in return, further confusing the adult who had just stopped at a red light.

 

“Ownnie says that Ziyu isn’t allowed to come to the studio, daddy. Ziyu doesn’t understand it yet, but gege said so,” pouting at the end of the statement, the brunet tried to make some sense out of the sudden news. Had Ziyu done something that displeased the twelve-year-old? Ziyu lived to please the elder and vice versa. It was impossible.

 

Still, the severity of such statement made the elder feel uneasy. Yes, they still shared a non-sugar-coated relationship, but Haowen had never mentioned anything about forbidding the younger carrier to come to the studio. In fact, last time Ziyu had accompanied him to the studio Jongin mentioned something about Haowen refusing to leave the babe’s side at all. What could have happened for his son to go to such extent? Did Ziyu hurt himself again?”

 

“Baby, did something happen at the studio last time you accompanied Haowen?”

 

The pouty child placed his hand on his chin as he tried his best to recall the events from a few months ago. But even so, he couldn’t recall anything. All he could recall was lying down in bed with Haowen at night and the older boy forbidding him from coming back to the studio as he played with the babe’s strands. And thus, the little carrier could do nothing other than to shake his head to answer his daddy’s question.

 

Odd.

 

“It’s okay, baby. If gege gets angry you just have say that I brought you along. Don’t worry about Haowennie too much, love.”

 

“B-But what if he gets angry, daddy?”

 

“Then you come to me. I’ll protect you,” said the brunet, smiling at the child sitting in the back seat of the car. The babe’s eyes turned into a pair of crescent moons, and Sehun couldn’t help but to admire the beautiful features of the child. Ziyu looked exactly like Luhan. But his personality and the way in which the child carried himself was a mix of Luhan and himself. Because while Luhan taught Ziyu to always be selfless and respectful towards others, Sehun had made sure to teach the babe to never allow himself to be treated as anything less than what he really is. And according to everyone, Ziyu was a princess.

 

Even now, at ten years old, Ziyu was spoilt and given anything he wanted by everyone around him. The child, however, was taught to never take anything for granted. Haowen had cooperated a lot too, for he was the reason why Ziyu carried himself with dignity and self-respect. Of course, no one out there would bow at him and do whatever he wanted to keep him happy, but Haowen had done his best to teach Ziyu to always give something in return. To treat others the way he liked to be treated. To respect others if he wanted to be respected in return. To be friendly towards everyone equally instead of being selective.

 

Selective could wait until adulthood. But for now, politeness and friendliness were the most important.

 

Sehun couldn’t help but to feel proud. Because even though Ziyu wasn’t his biological son, raising him with Luhan was enough to make him feel as if he were the babe’s biological dad. He had earned himself the title and he couldn’t be any happier.

 

“Daddy! Daddy! Ziyu needs to pee!”

 

Unable to contain his laughter, the brunet nodded and pulled into the parking lot of the dance studio. He stepped out of the car and then opened the door to the backseat of the car, carefully helping the child to unbuckle his own seatbelt and then helping him out. As soon as he was out, the child ran straight for the entrance door, pushing it open and allowing himself to enter the studio. To his surprise, the boys were practicing in partners and the cute uncle that always showered him in kisses and snuggles was walking around the small groups offering help with the individual steps they were learning.

 

And before Sehun could stop the babe from running again, Ziyu dived straight for the elder and hugged the adult from behind, earning himself a momentary shriek from the adult as something unexpected bumped into his leg and attached itself from behind. And once his ears were invaded by the well-known giggles he loved so much, the adult couldn’t stop himself from bringing the child closer to him and squeezing the lights out of him without any mercy. Within seconds, a set of unexpected giggles filled the dance studio and all the boys were unofficially taking a break whilst they simultaneously watched the unfolding scene.

 

Practically showering the babe with kisses and praises, everyone watched as their dance instructor’s demeanor changed. He turned into a complete softie for the babe in his arms, almost making everyone giggle behind his back for his unexpected change of behaviour.

 

Sehun stepped close to his best friend, much like everyone else unable to fully hold in his laughter but more composed compared to all the other kids (he had to act like an adult, mind you). This was meant to be a teaching environment. He wasn’t even supposed to be disturbing the class, but why not? It’s a once in a lifetime experience anyways.

 

“Uncle Nini! Ziyu needs to pee!” squishing the life out of the babe one last time, the older male placed the carrier back on the ground, stupidly smiling to himself as he watched the little human being running towards his older brother—more like carelessly throwing himself on the older boy whilst the other brunet gave the carrier the stinky eye—and watching as Haowen took the babe’s hand and led him to the restroom.

 

Quite a sight. Definitely something neither Jongin nor Sehun would have ever expected. Haowen was not exactly the affectionate type anymore. The only people he truly showed affection to was Ziyu and Luhan (and even with Luhan it wasn’t an everyday occurrence). However, some things were not meant to be questioned, especially when it was related to kids.

 

“I need you to let Haowen out early.” If looks could kill, Sehun would be lying on the floor by now. If there was one thing Jongin hated the most then it was early dismissals. Unless there was something extremely important that couldn’t wait, then he wouldn’t let any of his students leave early. Birthdays were an exception, but unless someone was in the hospital on their death bed, there was no such thing as leaving class early. The only time he ever broke his own rule and dismissed the class within minutes after starting was when Kyungsoo’s birth contractions started. He had never dismissed a dancing class so early in his life. Thankfully for him, it had been a female/carrier class of ballet. And all the moms understood the circumstances as well. His pregnant husband needed him and he was willing to drop everything to get to Kyungsoo on time.

 

“Sehun, If you-“

 

“Luhan says he’ll treat you and Soo to dinner if you do this for him. I’ll even let you spend a whole weekend with Snowflake,” said the brunet cutting off his best friend before he could complain. At the sudden thought of food, Jongin’s demeanor changed once again. In fact, he resembled a hungry puppy that hadn’t eaten in ages, or so Sehun thought. Who says no to food anyways? Especially when Luhan is the one cooking. And when Luhan cooks everyone gets the whole package, which means that there would also be dessert.

 

There was no way Jongin would say no.

 

“I have a few conditions,” said the sun-kissed male as he playfully pressed a finger against Sehun’s chest. With both sleeves on display, Jongin crossed his beautiful tattooed arms across his chest to make himself look as serious and intimidating as possible, which obviously didn’t work since he and Sehun were best friends. “Shoot,” said the other brunet, almost rolling his eyes at Jongin’s playful nature. “I get to choose what Luhan is going to cook for dinner.”

 

Fair enough. Not like Luhan would mind cooking some form of chicken for the male once again. Besides, Luhan knew this was coming. He would somewhat find a way to trick Jongin to eat whatever he was originally planning to make. Yes, the perks of having someone that could manipulate others at will as his life partner. Sehun would know. Intimate time was indeed interesting sometimes.

 

“Deal.” And as they shook hands to close their deal, Haowen and Ziyu walked back into the studio, once again the elder holding the carrier’s hand as he led him back towards their daddy. Before they could reach the elders, one of Haowen’s classmates stopped him from reaching the two adults. From afar, Sehun noticed the way in which Haowen’s body language changed completely. Instead, he noticed the way in which he placed himself in between his classmate and his little brother. Quite a little odd to the elder and truth to be told, for a second there Sehun thought there might have been a disagreement in between his sons and the other boy.

 

“Hi there. My name is Hyunshik and I’m Haowen’s classmate! I saw you last time you came but I didn’t get to say hi. Let’s be friends?” The babe was so confused by the way in which the other boy approached him that he couldn’t bring himself to even say anything. His mind was drawing blanks and none of the words had processed in his little head. And how could he? His brother was pretty much in between them and obstructing the babe’s complete view. Ziyu didn’t even get a glimpse of the other boy given the way in which Haowen stopped walking unexpectedly and shoved him behind

 

“Hyunshik, please don’t.” The child’s serious tone caught everyone else’s attention and it made Sehun and Jongin feel uneasy. It wasn’t everyday Haowen showed such level of unfriendliness.

 

“I just want to be his friend, Haowen. All we know is that you have a younger brother but he rarely comes. At least let me befriend him,” said the other twelve-year-old, trying his best to maneuver his way around the (still) taller human shield. Unfortunately for him, Haowen managed to block him from any possible angle. “No. I don’t want anyone getting close to him.” And with that said, the twelve-year-old took ahold of the younger carrier’s hand and walked away from his classmate.

 

Jongin seemed to be drawing blanks in his head. What was so wrong about the little carrier interacting with non-carriers? After all, Ziyu spent a great amount of time playing with Taeoh even though the child was not a carrier. He simply spent a lot of time with Ziyu whenever they visited and Haowen never thought much about it. What made it so different now? To make things worse, the stupid smile finding its way to Sehun’s lips was confusing Jongin even more. All he knew was that mini-Sehun had been mean to another student for now reason whatsoever and Sehun seemed to find the situation rather amusing.

 

“Haowen, you shouldn’t be mean to your classmates. Hyunshik is just trying to be nice to Ziyu,” said the elder, almost feeling apologetic towards his student for the way he had been treated. No one deserved to be disregarded in such a way. Unlike Sehun (who was still trying hard to not laugh at the children) the brunet felt embarrassed. His other students had witnessed Haowen’s little outburst and the last thing he wanted was for everyone else to fear his nephew. Not because Haowen would be mean (God no), but rather because he didn’t want the twelve-year-old to be treated as a bully—which he wasn’t but he didn’t want the other kids to think otherwise.

 

“But uncle, I don’t want anyone getting close to Ziyu.” And now Jongin was even more confused than before. “Ziyu is my brother and I don’t want to let anyone else get close to him.” And before Jongin could even question the kid’s mentality, Haowen walked out of the studio as he simultaneously pulled the babe along with him. Ziyu’s quiet _“Wait Owennie, Ziyu has to say bye to uncle nini_ ,” had been completely disregarded by the older boy.

 

The sudden silence enveloping the dance studio was making everyone uncomfortable. It was only broken when a few of the other boys approached Hyunshik and instigated what seemed to be a new conversation. And within seconds, the entire dance studio had been enveloped in laughter and different side conversations involving video games, school work, and group hangouts on the weekend.

 

At least no one seemed to mind that Hyunshik’s request to befriend Ziyu had been denied. And no one seemed to be calling Haowen mean so that was good, or so Jongin thought.

 

“Will you explain to me what’s going on with your not-so-mini-rugrat? Because I’m confused here.” Shaking his head at his stupid best friend, the brunet merely waved at the other telling him that he’d text him the details of their dinner later. And realizing that Sehun had merely ignored his question, Jongin nodded at the other and went back to work—not without kindly requesting everyone to go back to their partners and to keep practicing the move he had previously taught them.

 

Once outside, the brunet couldn’t help but to smile at his son’s possessive nature. To the brunet, it suddenly made sense why Ziyu was so worried about Haowen being angry at him. It didn’t precisely justify the way in which Haowen had spoken to his classmate, but it somehow gave him an insight to his son’s thinking process.

 

To Haowen, Hyunshik’s friendliness towards the babe could only mean that he had a crush on him and Haowen didn’t like it. Sehun isn’t exactly an expert in these things, but at his son’s age Jongin had already placed a permanent label on his relationship with Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was still a bit oblivious to Jongin’s feelings, but he had tried his best to keep Jongin as happy as he could. Not exactly by choice but if anyone were to ask him now he’d most likely say that he didn’t care about Jongin.

 

But he did. Maybe a little bit too much for his own good. And Haowen seemed to be going down the same road as Jongin. Perhaps a little bit differently since Ziyu was his brother, but he was still going down the possessive path indeed. Truth to be told, Sehun feared for Ziyu’s wellbeing in the future. In between Haowen, Dongsun, and Dongyul, his little baby would probably go crazy. Thankfully for him Luhan was always willing to let him get away with anything (much like Sehun really), but three against two didn’t sound so appealing to the adult.

 

The future didn’t seem so bright for the carrier.

 

“But Owennie, daddy told Ziyu to get in the car and he obeyed. Ziyu didn’t know we were coming here until daddy said so on our way here.”

 

“Princess, this is exactly why I didn’t want you coming back. Hyunshik and some of the other boys have been asking about you since they saw you for the first time. You coming here makes everything more complicated for me.”

 

From afar, Sehun could tell the kids were bickering amongst themselves. Unfortunately for them, he’d have to butt in and scold his eldest son for being mean. For now, he would let them solve their problems while they were in the car. Luhan would be home soon and the last thing he wanted was to make his husband wait for them. And he still had to get Ziyu and Haowen ready (though Haowen wasn’t much of a problem really) in the spam of two hours only.

 

Yes, fatherhood at its best there.

 

He shouldn’t have given in to Ziyu’s dancing request earlier on today. Had they not spent the whole morning trying to memorize the dance choreography to EXID’s LIE, they wouldn’t be so short in time at this very moment. But could anyone blame him? It was so hard to say no to his little carrier.

 

“Kids, let’s get in the car and you can keep bickering on our way home. Your baba will kill us if we’re late,” said the brunet as he unlocked the car and went around to the driver’s side to buckle in Ziyu. However, Haowen beat him to it this time and he merely watched from afar as his son carefully buckled the other’s seatbelt and pulled on it to make sure it was well done. To the elder’s surprise, Haowen didn’t take the passenger seat either. He went around the car again and opened the door to the backseat, sitting next to his little brother and bucking his own seatbelt.

 

Sehun stopped himself from teasing the twelve-year-old. He had had a rough time at dance class.

 

“So-“ Sehun was cut off by Ziyu’s unexpected whining.

 

“Gege, please don’t be mad at Ziyu.”

 

Sehun pressed his lips together to stop himself from saying anything that could earn him a glare from his twelve-year-old.

 

Sighing, the little brunet wrapped an arm around his younger brother, pressing a kiss (and those were rare at this age!) to the crown of the babe’s head as the younger leaned his head against his taller brother’s shoulder (definitely an awkward position but Sehun decided to keep quiet instead). “It’s not your fault, princess. I just don’t want anyone getting close to you,” said the little brunet, rubbing his hand down the younger’s left arm.

 

“And why’s that?” asked Sehun from up front, trying his best to hide the teasing smile threatening to form on his lips.

 

Because fatherhood is all about teasing your children and making them suffer as much as they make you suffer when they’re young. Oh yes, it was finally time for Sehun to get back at his son for all those sleepless nights he made him go through as an infant.

 

“Dad.”

 

“I’m just asking. I mean, you did put up a show there. I can’t wait to tell your baba everything. I’m pretty sure he’ll appreciate a good laugh, you know?” Smiling at his child, the adult kept his eyes on the road and waited for the younger to open-up about their little scene at the dance studio. He was bound to do so sooner or later.

 

“Because no one can have Ziyu. I’m his older brother and he’s all mine. I’m the one that cared for him and watched over him since he was four years old. I don’t want anyone else around him. He’s mine, dad.” Nodding at the other’s expected response, the brunet decided to have some fun, too. Anything to make his child feel embarrassed.

 

“Then what about Anson?”

 

“I don’t-“

 

“And I don’t think Dongsun and Dongyul will appreciate to hear that. They adore Ziyu.”

 

“But they’re-“

 

“Oh! Taeoh too when he gets older. Have you seen his attachment to Ziyu?

 

“Dad, he’s only a-“

 

“But I am wondering about Anson the most. Ziyu and he have been best friends since Ziyu was born. Even longer than you two really. Are you planning to cut Ziyu in half or something?”

 

“Dad!”

 

Sehun couldn’t help but to laugh at his son. Teasing his little look-alike was something he enjoyed doing. And he also liked to hear the other’s unexpected comebacks. After all, his child turned out to be a smart-mouthed little shit, and Sehun enjoyed every single day of his life now that he was about to enter his teenage years. Would he still be the same once Ziyu caught up mentally to him? There were still 4-5 years left.

 

But even so, Sehun could simply cherish these moments with him. Because Haowen was not the emotional type. That was Ziyu. Haowen lived in the moment and never regretted anything, or so Sehun thought.

 

“Anson isn’t Ziyu’s prince. I am. We clarified this when we were kids. He will take my place one day. I’m sure. But Ziyu will not date until he’s thirty. I refuse to allow him to date anyone before that age. And the only person he can date is Anson. That’s my final decision. For now, Ziyu is all mine and mine alone. No one else can get close to him. I won’t allow it.”

 

So Haowen had planned Ziyu’s whole life already. Luhan would have a great laugh after hearing that. Not that they didn’t know of their children’s attachment to each other, but Haowen had taken things to a whole new level now. He really wondered how would the babe feel in the future. Would he feel trapped with a brother like Haowen? Would he allow Haowen to overprotect him the way he was currently doing? Because if that was the case, then Sehun had nothing to worry about really. Haowen was a lot scarier than he was.

 

“What are you going to do when Ziyu turns eighteen and he decides he wants to start dating? Will you forbid him from doing so because it’s isn’t Anson?”

 

“He’ll date Anson. Mark my words. I’ll make him date Anson if I have to. He’s the only person I know will take great care of him other than myself.”

 

By now, Sehun could not stop his laughter any longer. He let it all out and laughed even harder after seeing the look of Haowen’s face. Yeah, the twelve-year-old was judging him entirely but he couldn’t care any less right now. All he knew was that son was something else and he was currently having the time of his life listening to him speaking.

 

Maybe he didn’t have to scold his son anymore. He seemed to be doing it out of love rather than rudeness. He’d probably talk to him about it later, but for now he’d let it be. And as he pulled into the driveway of their home and turned the engine off, he noticed the way in which the twelve-year-old unbuckled his seatbelt and his brother’s as well. He noticed the way in which he helped the child to get off the car, and the way in which he had taken a moment to pull the younger back and embrace him properly.

 

Rude and all, Haowen was nothing but a child at heart. He grew up with the mentality of protecting Ziyu at all cost, and now that others were trying to penetrate his protective bubble around the babe, he was merely reacting in what he seemed to think was the most accurate way. Because apparently being possessive was the best answer. He’d most likely learn soon that being possessive wasn’t the right thing to do, but for now Sehun couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

And when Haowen let go of the younger and walked inside the house (only to be greeted by an overly hyper Snowflake), the child he had been embracing ran back towards his daddy and threw himself at the elder’s awaiting arms. Wrapping his noddle arms around his daddy’s neck and hiding his face in the crook of the elder’s neck, the babe giggled to himself as the elder walked inside the house and closed the front door properly.

 

“Gege isn’t angry, daddy!”

 

Kissing the child’s forehead, the elder nodded at his son and smiled in return. “I know, pumpkin. Your brother loves you too much to be angry,” said the adult, placing the child on the ground as Snowflake came running and attacked Ziyu with kisses. Laughing at the pup’s affection, the child merely nodded and proceeded to pet the chowchow’s fluffy head. “And I love him too, daddy. Enough to the moon and back,” said the little carrier as the ran around the living room with the six-month-old dog at his tail.

 

Yes, to the moon and back.

 

That was quite a short distance but he didn’t have to know that yet.

 

And Sehun? He loved them from this life to the next and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for them. Before the elder was pulled out of his dream bubble, the sound of Haowen calling for Ziyu to come to his room to help him get ready to go out was all the motivation he needed to leave his spot.

 

Sehun was extremely happy. That was the life he so desperately wanted and he was more than happy to finally have it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This came out a little longer than expected. So much for a drabble tbh -.-   
I have a writer’s block. I had the whole chapter planned but then a few things happened in my personal life and I lost my motivation to finish the chapter. And then I forced myself to get back to it and I had it almost planned out. But I’m struggling so much with two scenes (probably two of the longest ones) and it’s driving me crazy. And then yesterday I had to stop bc I realized I was writing nonsense and ended up writing this instead. I needed some form of real life escape and this happened. I’ll change the order of the chapters once the new one is updated. I want all the extras to follow after the story and not to be all over the place. Oh! I really like this title. I was coming from church last weekend and I was trying to rhyme words together and this happened so XD Now this is getting long so bye-bye!


	5. Rabbit in the Hole and Birdy in the Wall, Wake Me When the Sun Smiles From Above, When His Scent on the Bed Goes With Him Away, Wake Me When He’s Gone So I Can Follow Along

**Note:** Another drabble and not part of the story (I couldn’t stop myself from writing this)

 **Imporant:** 13-year-old Ziyu // 15-year-old Haowen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s one of the rules of math: two negatives equal a positive. Two positives equal a positive. A negative and a positive create a negative regardless of which of them is the bigger number. Now, if we were adding or subtracting rather than multiplying and dividing, the results would be—princess?”

 

Staring blankly at the wall ahead of him, the honey blond babe couldn’t help but to divert his full attention _away_ from the abnormally huge (with all the meaning of the word) math book in front of him. His brother’s explanation regarding positive and negative numbers went completely disregarded as the babe distracted himself with the pretty shades of beige that painted the walls of the brunet’s room. Not that he had never paid attention to them, but the colors seemed to be more interesting than the never-ending amount of numbers filling the pages of his book and notes.

 

Who knew he’d be taking algebra in 8th grade? He did not sign up for this! Besides, he wanted to skate! Why would a professional ice skater need algebra in life? It made no sense. Math was hard and—boring.

 

“Ziyu!”

 

Jumping at the sound of his brother’s irritated tone, the babe could not help but to flinch under the judging stare of the other. And he couldn’t blame Haowen. The elder was helping him out of the kindness of his heart and Ziyu had been disregarding him completely as he attempted to explain the mathematical rules he couldn’t bring himself to care about.

 

The prize for worst brother of the year—if such thing existed— would most definitely go to Ziyu.

 

“Y-Yes, Owennie?”

 

“Can you summarize what I just said?”

 

Gulping at the other’s patronizing tone, the babe bit his lower lip and glared at all the numbers with the confusing plus and minus signs right before them.

 

“P-positive and negative n-numbers are important in all math levels?”

 

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, the brunet shut the book close and took a more comfortable position on his bed. With the younger sitting right across from him and with a big frown on his face, the brunet couldn’t help but to flick his forehead with his fingers. The child let out a cry of pain before pouting at the other’s expected punishment.

 

“That is not what I said. That was my opening statement to your question about why are positive and negative numbers important. If you’re going to space out while I help you with your homework, you can go to your room and figure it out on your own,” said the brunet, almost scowling at the pouting child. But who was he lying to? He’d probably end up helping the younger all over again if he came to ask for help again. And Haowen could understand it too. The babe was only thirteen years of age. Even though he was somewhat familiar with some of the rules of math (courtesy of Haowen when he worked on his homework and Ziyu walked in during his study sessions), some things were much harder to understand at his age.

 

Not that he was fully developed yet. Normally, carriers didn’t take higher levels of math until they entered high school. Some schools, however, taught advanced subjects as early as possible with the purpose of helping their minds develop faster if possible. Haowen was not one to judge but he was a fair believer that all carriers should learn at their own pace. Ziyu was definitely _not_ ready for such an advance class yet. And whilst Algebra was beyond easy for a regular thirteen-year-old, carriers were a whole different story. That was one of the reasons why they were separated from normal kids halfway through elementary school.

 

Unfortunately for Ziyu, his school was one of those schools that supported advanced teaching, hence the reason behind their current situation. Despite the younger’s never-ending whines about not liking math, there was absolutely nothing anyone could do to change the system. The only thing he could do was help him whenever he struggled. And luckily for the babe, he was gifted in the mathematics department, for he was one of the few brilliant sophomores talking algebra 2.

 

Yes, if only Ziyu understood how lucky he was.

 

“Ziyu doesn’t need math. Ziyu wants to skate only,” said the babe crossing his arms against his chest and letting out a sigh of frustration to make his point. But arguing with Haowen was a lost case. They had had enough history together to know that Haowen would always be the voice of reasoning. “Yes, I agree. But you need to graduate and finish your education while you work on your skating skills. I’m not saying this will happen but you need a back-up plan if skating doesn’t work out for you.”

 

Back-up plan? He didn’t need that! His coach said he was great at skating and he only needed some more technical skills practice to make it to the national junior team. He didn’t need a second plan because he’d make sure to make his skating dream come true.

 

But then, much like Haowen said, what if he didn’t make it? What if he broke a leg and it didn’t heal properly and he wasn’t able to ever skate again?

 

Does that mean he would be stuck doing math for the rest of his life? No! That is not what Ziyu wanted.

 

“I said in case of. It’s not a for sure thing so stop imagining weird things, princess. Look, I just want to make you think about all the possible scenarios. You’ll only be skating for a good thirty years? By the time you reach forty, you won’t be able to skate much. You are bound to retire at some point, and then what?”

 

Good question. Ziyu had no idea what would happen afterwards. Most of the older generation of skaters retired once they reached their late thirties. While he had higher chances of lasting longer given his genetic make-up and DNA complexion, the future was uncertain. Maybe Haowen was right. Maybe he made the babe realize that a back-up plan was always necessary. But what if he couldn’t come up with one? What if math was the only thing available for him?

 

“Does Owennie have a back-up plan if dancing doesn’t work out?” asked the babe, getting more comfortable on his older brother’s bed whilst the brunet handed him a pillow. “Well that’s quite the question for me. You see, Ziyu, I may be fifteen, but I don’t know what I want from life. Yes, being a professional dancer is my dream but after a few years I won’t be able to dance anymore. I could have an accident that would stop me from dancing. There’s a never-ending list of possible scenarios I have thought of in the past. But other than dancing, I really like science. I’ll probably think of something as I grow older, but I can assure you it’ll have to do with science.”

 

Science.

 

Why would Haowen choose the most complicated subjects? Science was so hard to understand, but definitely way more interesting than math. People that liked math were weird (Haowen included) and people who liked science were even weird _er_ (Haowen included once again). But there was something Ziyu admired about his older brother—his thirst for knowledge in matters that interested him. Unlike himself who would much rather leave it alone if he didn’t understand it at first (his math homework being the perfect example).

 

“I know you’re calling me weird in that pretty little head of yours,” teased the fifteen-year-old as he playfully poked the younger’s pointy nose. “But you don’t need to worry about your back-up plan yet. All you need to worry about is passing all your classes and finishing your education. The future is uncertain so don’t worry about anything yet. It isn’t your time to worry. Besides, you’ll always have me and our dads, right? And our uncles and cousins too, so don’t worry about anything yet.”

 

Pulling the smaller boy into a warm embrace, the babe could not help but his press his pretty face against his brother’s neck, taking in the scent he had become acquainted to through the years. Home. Because much like his daddy and baba, Haowen smelled like home. And at this particular moment he was more than glad to be under the guidance of the older boy.

 

“How about we work on homework tomorrow? I’ll ask Anson to come over and help, too,” said the brunet, playfully patting the younger’s bum to get him to move out of the way. He took the abandoned math book and left it over his desk. “Can Ziyu sleep with Owennie tonight?” asked the pretty babe, making himself comfortable on the queen-sized bed since he already knew the answer to his question. “Did you really ask for permission whilst making yourself comfortable? At least pretend to be concerned!”

 

Giggling at his brother’s comeback, the babe left the bed to go open the elder’s closet. Pulling one of Haowen’s hoodies out, the babe got rid of his shirt and slipped the hoodie over his petite frame. He refrained from removing his sweats since Haowen liked to lower the temperature in his room at night, but thankfully for him the elder never minded him wearing his belongings when they went to bed. Making his way back to the bed and making himself as comfortable as possible (making his older brother smile in the process because some things never changed—that is, Ziyu sleeping over in his room at least twice a month) whilst the elder turned off the lights.

 

In between school and dance practice and homework and ice skating schedules, the boys were drained out completely. Last time Haowen checked the clock it was a quarter ‘till nine. And even though most kids would be up and about playing and running all around the house, neither one of them felt like doing anything. They merely wanted to lie down and rest. The school year had just started and Ziyu was already struggling with math. It seemed like this would be one of the hardest years for the babe. Luckily for him, Haowen was ready to back him up in case he started to stay behind. That’s what older brothers are for, right?

 

“Owennie?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Ziyu is thankful for your help.”

 

Smiling at the younger’s (even though Ziyu couldn’t see him) sweet confession, the brunet merely wrapped an arm around the smaller frame of his favorite younger brother and pressed his smaller back against him. After all, the temperature in his room was so low that he on purposely intended to use the younger as a warm heater. Of course, his baba was bound to walk into his room before going to bed and setting the temperature at an appropriate degree, but for now he’d take pleasure in driving Ziyu crazy with the strength of his embrace.

 

The perks of being the mean older brother.

 

“Owennie, Ziyu can’t move.”

 

Yes, Haowen loved to have the younger sleeping over. Because a hoodie covered Ziyu was more comfortable than all his other pillows combined.

 

“Owennie! Let go of Ziyu!”

 

Even if said source of warmth came with a whinny defect, the brunet loved him regardless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Dad! Ziyu and Haowen are sleeping together again!”

 

Blinking at the sound of his eight-year-old, the brunet turned around (breakfast duty was on him this morning) and found Dongsun standing by the fridge. Smiling at the younger, the brunet pulled his child over and wrestled him for the privilege of pressing a kiss in the crown of his head.

 

“Dad! I’m not five! I don’t need kisses!” Laughing at the other’s outburst, the brunet shook his head and proceeded to keep cooking. Ziyu wasn’t fond of burnt pancakes and Haowen would probably drive him crazy too _(because how can you give Ziyu and the kids burnt pancakes, dad?)_. No one likes burnt pancakes. Period.

 

“I see you and Dongyul kissing and hugging your baba all the time. How come I don’t get that privilege?”

 

Rolling his eyes at his overly dramatic father, the smaller brunet pulled out a carton of chocolate milk and poured himself a cup. “That’s because baba is baba. He gets all the kisses and hugs, even those from hyung and gege,” said the eight-year old, proceeding to drink his cup of chocolate milk and completely disregarding his father.

 

Yes, because that totally made sense to Sehun. Luhan got all the kisses and hugs from all the kids and what did he get? A simple good morning? Not even that. All he received from Dongsun was an early morning complaint about his two older brothers sleeping together again. Funny thing is that such occurrence was completely normal in their household. Ever since they were kids, Luhan always claimed that letting the kids sleep together would somehow create some sort of bond between them.

 

And what a bond indeed. It seemed to him like Haowen and Ziyu merely did it out of tradition. At least on Haowen’s side. Ziyu was still the neediest one of the kids. Even at thirteen, the babe would barge into his parents’ room sometimes and demand to sleep with the couple. Sehun loved it. Ziyu would always be his baby regardless of his age. Likewise, Luhan was more than glad to welcome his baby into their bed. At least they didn’t have to worry about their little carrier never being affectionate.

 

The same couldn’t be said about Haowen though.

 

The fifteen-year-old was something else. But Sehun had to give him credit for one thing—he never stopped showing his baby brother affection. The older he grew, the more affectionate he’d become. Ziyu was Haowen’s weakness, or so it seemed. The best way to get to Haowen was through Ziyu. It was a weakness Sehun had learned to take advantage of.

 

And it was also the best way to embarrass his child. All he had to do was bring up the countless number of embarrassing things he’d done for Ziyu, such as having a tea party at the age of ten because Ziyu wanted him to. Or purchasing a pink hoodie because Ziyu wanted to match.

 

But the most recent one was convincing Anson to create a small dancing performance for Ziyu since Dongsun had overheard Ziyu talking to a friend about wanting to be asked to the winter formal in a special way in front of his classmates.

 

Yeah, Haowen and Anson were still working on that one, but Ziyu didn’t need to know anything. Sehun found out by accident. He had overheard a conversation in between the kids trying to pick the music and the days in which they’d meet up to practice.

 

Yes, Ziyu was Haowen’s source of embarrassment and his parents’ and uncles’ source of entertainment. They had seen Haowen doing things he would never do for anyone else just to make the babe happy.

 

“Why is dad smiling to himself?” asked the new figure entering the room, questioning his father’s unexpected grin as he flipped a pancake in the air. “I have no idea,” said the other child whilst continuing to drink more of his chocolate milk. Finally realizing someone else was in the kitchen with him, the brunet turned around and found his other son, Dongyul, staring at him as if he had grown another head. Much like his older brother, the other eight-year-old walked towards the fridge and pulled out a box of banana milk. He then walked towards his father and gave him and hug before he went around the counter to sit down with his brother.

 

Why couldn't he have kids that liked the same thing? Dongsun only liked chocolate milk whilst his twin was a big fan of banana milk. Ziyu only liked strawberry milk and Haowen didn't consume any milk unless it was with cereal (which, by default, was regular milk). Couldn't they just agree to consume strawberry lemonade or something?

 

But who was he kidding? The fact that they all were all different from one another is what made them special. Some in more ways others (just look at Ziyu. Being the only carrier amongst all of them, he often received everyone's attention and protection, even from the twins).

 

“See that, Dongsun? At least Dongyul hugs me. What did I get from you?” Rolling his eyes at his father once again, the child let out a sigh of frustration as he tried his best to ignore his brother’s laughter. “Dad, we just look alike. We’re not the same person,” said the little brunet as he pushed his younger brother off the stool, making him groan in pain as he landed on the floor.

 

Now _that_ was unacceptable. Rough play was not tolerated by neither Sehun nor Luhan. Not even Haowen was allowed to be too rough with the twins.

 

“No hurting each other, Dongsun. Now be a good boy and help Dongyul stand up. And apologize to him.” Crossing his arms across his chest whilst holding a spatula and wearing a stupid kitty apron, Dongsun couldn’t help but to burst out laughing at his father’s sudden mid-wife appearance.

 

It was when the elder raised his eyebrow that the child stopped laughing and proceeded to do as the elder said. He helped his younger twin to stand up and apologized for pushing him off the stool. Once the two kids had made up, the brunet went back to cooking, not without handing the kids a bowl with apple slices. It wasn’t a full meal but it was something to keep them from starving whilst everyone else woke up.

 

“Dad, Haowen and Ziyu are sleeping together again,” said the younger twin, Dongyul, pouting as he took a slice of apple and took a bite. Much like before, the elder could not help but smile at the younger’s complaint. “It’s the same thing I said when I saw them! I’m not the only one bumped out, dad! Dongyul understands me!” said Dongsun, turning towards his brother and giving the younger a high five. “Well duh! I understand you because I’m your twin!” Grinning like the proud dad he is, the male turned off the stove as he left the pancakes to cool down on the counter.

 

“The reason why your hyung allows gege to sleep with him is because they’ve been doing it since they were kids. By the time they were your age, they were already used to sleeping together. Now stop being territorial over Ziyu. He loves you both, too,” said the brunet, almost losing his composure as he noticed the way in which the two youngsters rolled their eyes at his siblinghood speech. They had heard it plenty of times but they knew better than to believe it.

 

Haowen was Ziyu’s favorite brother. There was no mistake there.

 

“Dad, we know gege loves us. We are fighting over the fact that Ziyu sleeps in hyung’s room way more than he sleeps in our room,” said Dongsun. At that, Sehun could not help but to question his child’s logic. Neither one shared a room so he had no idea what his son was talking about.

 

“And before you say that we don’t share a room, Dongsun was referring to gege’s room. We call it our room because we spend a lot of time in there with him,” said the younger twin. At that, Sehun refused to make any further comments because seriously? Ziyu’s room was pretty much a passing station since the carrier had to alternate in between the twins most of the time. He slept in his room alone probably once or twice a week only and the remaining days he spent them with either Dongsun or Dongyul. Or both whenever they both barged into his room at night.

 

But Ziyu said he liked to sleep with his brothers so neither he nor Luhan tried stopping them.

 

However, before Sehun could say anything, the sound of someone else’s footsteps caught him off guard. Peeling a banana for each one of the twins and handing it over to them as he proceeded to prepare some coffee for himself, the brunet disregarded the morning greetings exchanged in between the fifteen-year-old and twins as he focused completely on the pair of arms wrapped around his waist. The feeling of his husband’s head against his shoulder blade and the slight press of a kiss against his exposed flesh made the brunet’s heartbeat increase immediately.

 

“Good morning, Sehunnie,” said the pretty carrier he was happily married to as he stood on his tippy toes to press a kiss against his husband’s lips. Turning his body around completely, the brunet wrapped an arm around Luhan’s petite waist as he lowered himself and pressed a kiss against the other’s lips once again, this time molding them together and moving in perfect synchronization whilst the smaller male returned the the brunet’s strong embrace.

 

“Ew! Baba, your kids are here, too! Please stop! Have mercy on us,” said the younger twin, pretending to cover his eyes whilst Dongsun merely nodded with his head.

 

Suddenly feeling self-conscious about their kiss, Luhan hid his head in the crook of Sehun’s neck while the brunet laughed at the youngers’ unnecessary remarks. “Good morning to you too, babe,” whispered the brunet, sending a shiver down Luhan’s body as he tried to not break their embrace.

 

Not because he wanted to hug Sehun but rather because he didn't want to see his kids. He was too embarrassed to face them after what they witnessed.

 

“Seriously? After four kids you’re still embarrassed to kiss each other, baba?” Asked the fifteen-year-old, almost smirking at the blushing Luhan. Meanwhile, Sehun sent the eldest child a mental praise for successfully embarrassing his baba. He had taught Haowen well.

_That’s my boy there! Make me proud, Haowen!_

 

Haowen loved Luhan. He loved the fact that he grew up showered with the love and affection of the carrier. He loved the fact that Luhan raised him to be a nice, respectful gentleman that was not ashamed to treat those he loved properly. And even though he didn’t show Luhan the same amount of affection he used to show him as a kid, the brunet showed him such affection through embarrassing remarks that made the elder want to choke him as much as they made him want to embrace him.

 

Unfortunately, choking Haowen would count as child abuse. He couldn't exactly say that he choked him out of love. The judge and jury would never believe that. Thus, the carrier merely settled for meaningless threats that would often end up with Haowen promising to get back at Luhan.

 

And he did.

 

Most of the time at least.

 

Much like right now, Luhan couldn't help but to give his child credit. He knew how to embarrass him within seconds. Sadly, that was not a skill he could write down on his resume. Settling for an adorable smile with a sly threatening meaning behind it _(trust me, I will get back you, Oh Haowen)_ , the carrier playfully glared at the elder whilst Sehun chuckled at the exchange in between them.

 

But in between embarrassing his baba and embracing him, Haowen would most definitely choose embarrassing him instead. It was payback time now that he was a teenager. What a better way to show affection than to declare war on his most favourite parent? It was a never-ending war between them and he was not going to lose this round.

 

“Please don’t punish us, your kids, by making us watch,” pleaded the younger twin, pretending to gag at his parents’ previous PDA.

 

“Trust me, Dongyul, watching them is not the worst thing you can witness. Do you want to know about the day you two were made?”

 

“Oh Haowen, that’s enough,” said Luhan, embarrassed to the core as his eldest son pretended by be hurt by his words before proceeding. “They sent gege and I and Snowball to uncle Jongin’s house for a sleepover. And a few months after that sleepover, Ziyu noticed that baba’s belly was bigger. And a few months after that you two were born,” said the older brunet, watching in amusement as the twins’ faces went from curiosity to surprise.

 

“That means baba really wanted us then!” said Dongsun looking smug all of a sudden at the possibility of them being wanted by both parents. "Wait hyung, who is Snowball?" Asked the younger twin, completely disregarding everything the elder had just said and merely focused on the area of interest. 

 

Before Haowen butted in to say something embarrassing, Luhan answered Dongyul's question right away. "Snowball was daddy's first child. He was a cute toy poodle he had been having since before Haowen was born. Unfortunately, he passed away when you guys were three years of age. There are pictures of you two with Snowball but you don't remember him because of how young you were."

 

“Yes, Snowball was my brother and my partner in crime. He and I would do sneaky things together and he loved to chew on dad's socks, too. Much like Snowflake but worse. Way worse," said the fifteen-year-old, a melancholic smile forming on his lips. "Now, to rebuttal your comment, Dongsun, no. It means you two were an accident and the aftermath of our parents’ alone time,” said Haowen, earning himself a round a laughter coming from both parents and an outburst of kiddy complaints coming from his younger brothers.

 

And in the midst of laughing and scolding the elder for messing around with his brothers, Sehun noticed the sleepy figure of his little carrier entering the kitchen whilst rubbing the sleepiness away from his eyes. Almost immediately, the elder was by his child’s side, lifting him off the floor and carrying him towards the counter along with the rest of the kids. To the child’s surprise, everyone was already awake.

 

“Good morning,” said the little carrier, making everyone around him smile. The child rested his head in the crook of Sehun’s neck whilst Luhan stroked the strands of his honey blond hair. “Gege! Hyung is being mean to us! He called us mistakes!” said Dongyul, running around the counter and pulling at Ziyu’s (or rather Haowen's) overly big hoodie. The child smiled to himself and shook his head, too sleepy to care about whatever his younger brother was trying to say.

 

“Dongsun, I think gege is agreeing with hyung.”

 

Smirking at the defeated sight of the twins, Haowen merely ruffled the youngers’ brunet strands as he went around the table and took Ziyu from his father. “You can start serving the twins their breakfast. I’ll sit him on a stool and get his food and mine ready,” said the brunet, turning around and walking towards the twins as he sat the carrier on a stool next to the other two. At the sight of their brother completely ignoring them as he told Haowen what he wanted for breakfast, the twins merely pouted and glared at their eldest brother, who in return stuck his tongue out and walked away with another smirk on his face.

 

Clearly there was no competition. There was never competition to begin with.

 

Haowen would always be Ziyu’s favourite.

 

But that was okay, too. Haowen was bound to go to college at some point, right? And then it’d be the twins’ turn to take away their brother's spot in the carrier's heart, or so they thought. Haowen was not mean enough to burst their bubble. They'd learn one day that Ziyu would never replace him, or so he hoped. At least until Anson was old enough to take his spot.

 

For Sehun and Luhan, the idea of waking up to this every morning was more than enough for them. Seeing their kids playing and arguing amongst themselves—the twins trying to outdo their eldest brother—was more than enough to bring some livelihood to their otherwise quiet mornings (when the kids were at school).

 

This was their life and there was nothing they would do to change it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forget my writer's block. Someone made me realize I messed up the timeline so here! I fixed it (and added a few things bc why not lol).

I thought about this earlier on today when my sister and I were making breakfast for our mom (it’s Mother’s Day for us so yeah) and it kind of inspired me to write the second scene. And since I couldn’t get it out of my head I turned it into another drabble haha. Anyways I’ll just leave it at that (I didnt leave it at that. I fixed it lol).

p.s: not happy with this title but I had to come up with something in like 3 mins so I’ll change it soon

**Author's Note:**

> [Foreword End Note] And here we are again.  
> Posting here again as I said earlier. The title is still making a reference to Luhan. Brownie points to whomever figures it out once the story is completed. I'm still a shitty author and I doubt that will change. But At least I'll post this. I'm not planning a pregnancy for this but I'm considering it. It'd be cute.
> 
> BTW I'm rating this 'mature' not because there's anything bad (sexual assault, violence, or graphic scenes), but rather because It's Male/Male and though male pregnancies are just fiction, it doesn't feel right to merely talk about them as if they were the most normal thing out there.


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